Worlds Fall Apart
by CreamSoda1382
Summary: You mean Ranma's really a...girl? o.O How will everyone react when they find out that Ranma, man among men, is actually a girl who was turned into a boy with a Jusenkyo curse after Soun accidentally makes a deal with a demon? How will Ranma react?
1. Soun's World

Author's Note: I own none of these characters, and I'm sure if the talented Rumiko Takahashi saw what I was doing to her beautiful story, she'd do nothing short of hire multiple ninjas to destroy me using such cruel weapons as attack llamas, broccoli, and possibly a tantellagra (aka: very large, wet noodle).

_So, everyone, here it is! My first oober long fan fiction! _

_ applause Yay! Hurrah! Woot! /applause _

_Oddly enough, this fan fiction is AU (Alternate Universe), contains some ships that may or may not be considered slash (read and you'll understand), and answers the horribly cliché fan fiction question of, "What if Ranma was really a girl?" But it's better than it sounds, I swear! ;)_

_Anyway, a quick synopsis: After Soun Tendo's last hope, a young boy named Ranma Saotome who is supposed to unite his martial arts school with that of his old friend Genma Saotome, turns out to be…well, not exactly the man he was expecting, Soun makes a deal with a devil in a moment of desperation that changes the life of Ranma and everyone she ever meets…or is that everyone he ever meets? But when the chaos surrounding Ranma ultimately puts him in mortal danger, Soun's blunder is revealed, and everyone must now cope with the new Ranma Saotome. But how can Ranma go on living when his entire world has just fallen apart?_

_So. Read. Review. This Fic will be long, and I intend to update about once a week. I already have a good deal written, so I won't do that terrible torturous thing that some Fan Fictionists do where they end a chapter with, "And then death took him…" and don't update for a year and a half and come back saying, "Hi there everyone:P Sorry, I've been really busy and all, but here's the next chapter! XOXO!" No, if you get addicted to this madness, you will get your weekly fix. I promise. :)_

_EDIT_

_After posting several chapters, I realized that posting them in parts with about 1500 words each was, well, completely retarded! . So, I am reposting this all (shame I'm gonna lose my comments though…) in larger chapters. This way, things will happen faster and it won't look like I am taking forever and a day to get to the point! ;)_

Worlds Fall Apart 

**Soun's World**

There are some things in this world that you have just come to know, come to accept as reality. Certain aspects of yourself, of your life, which never seem likely to change. For Ranma, one of those things was chaos. He had come to accept long ago that chaos followed him wherever he went. He had squared with this. Gotten used to it. Heck, he even sort of liked it on occasion. Kept things interesting. And so, whatever strange new thing came along that he couldn't possibly be prepared for, he was prepared for it, in a way.

Except this. This hit him like a ton of bricks. This changed everything. This wasn't your ordinary, run of the mill chaos. This was nothing short of the end of the world. And he wasn't overreacting either. The world, as Ranma knew it, had just fallen apart.

But perhaps I am beginning too far ahead. This story does not begin here. It begins several months earlier when another person's world falls apart before them.

That person is Soun Tendo. Soun Tendo was a very accepting man. He had accepted the fact that he had three daughters and no sons. They were wonderful, beautiful daughters, and he loved them very much. Boys were too hard to keep track of anyway. He had accepted the fact that his wife died. He didn't like it, and it killed him every day, but he had accepted it. He had accepted the fact that his martial arts training business wasn't going as well as it once was. Life moves on, he knew, and martial arts would become the latest fad again soon enough. He had managed to accept all these things and remain a relatively happy man.

And at the moment, he was blissfully happy. Ranma was finally coming. Ranma would be there, at the Tendo dojo. Tendo looked down once more, tears of joy in his eyes, at the postcard he had received from his old friend, Genma Saotome. It had only a picture of a panda and a few short sentences written on it:

The time has come for our schools to unite. Ranma and I will be arriving soon. Please prepare for us.

Your Old Friend

Genma.

Oh, he would prepare. He would roll out a velvet welcome mat, have Kasumi bake a feast, and perhaps hire a marching band. This was what he had always been waiting for. And aside from finally meeting Ranma, his future son in law, the hope of his martial arts school, the thing he held most dear, erm, after his lovely daughters of course, he was looking forward to meeting his friend Genma Saotome again. They had been the closest of friends, practically brothers, but had been separated for many years now.

Tendo chuckled as his thoughts ran over their old antics. From childhood pranks to the harsh lessons of the master which almost surely got them beaten by angry maidens. Tendo loved his daughters dearly, but they were hardly a suitable equivalent for male company. He wanted someone to play Shogi with, to practice martial arts with, and did I mention how starved he was for a good Shogi match?

He thought once more of the day they made their promise. Saotome had just gotten married and they would be moving out of the area soon. The two old pals went out once more for a few glasses of sake together, and they congratulated each other, slightly drunkenly, on jobs well done in life.

"You have two beautiful daughters!" Saotome laughed, slapping his pal on the back, "A beautiful wife, a prosperous school, and are likely to have many sons!"

"Ha ha! I certainly hope not!" Tendo chuckled resignedly. He had already begun to give up hope of having sons and was quietly trying to convince himself he didn't want sons anyway. "Sons are too much work! I'll leave the having of sons to you and Nadoka! I'm certain the two of you will be busy in no time. I expect to see many young Saotome boys in the years to come!"

"As do I!" Saotome chuckled, "But no sons for you? Who will carry on the school if you have no sons?"

"Do you remember…(hiccough)" Tendo began, then swallowed and grabbed Saotome's shoulder for support, "When we spoke of uniting the schools,"

"Why…of course!" Saotome aid, "Any fool can see that our two styles are strongest when combined!"

"Then, let us allow our children to carry on that dream! Your sons will marry my daughters, and they will build our schools into a world wide phenomenon!"

Saotome grinned widely and shook his partners unsteady hand, "Deal! When my oldest son is 16 I will look you up and we will make good on this bargain! Until then, old friend, may our lives be filled with nothing but happiness!"

"And sake!" Tendo reminded him.

"Yes!" Saotome grinned, "And sake!"

Saotome heard a loud thud, and perked up his head. A high voice was shouting in the entrance, and seemed to be protesting rather violently.

"Put me down, Old Man!" the voice called out, "What do you think you're doing! What's the big idea, huh?"

Nabiki's head shot up and she jumped to her feet. "That must be Ranma!" She exclaimed and dove for the door. The others followed, Soun at the rear, his heart pounding wildly. The sight that greeted him was nothing short of strange: A large man in a dirty panda suit and a young red head slung over his shoulder. The Tendo family stopped, and Kasumi innocently wondered, "Are these your friends father?"

The man in a panda suit lifted his head as he placed the redhead on the floor in front of Soun Tendo. Soun saw instantly that the face of the man unexplainably under a Panda suit was that of his old friend Genma Saotome. But he wasn't concerned with that right then. He was concerned with Ranma. Ranma, the young boy who had come to unite the schools, to unite the families, to make all of Tendo's dreams come true. He was finally here. He was a bit short and small, and certainly looked too young for his daughters, but that could be dealt with later. _But Saotome said he'd bring him when he was 16…must just be a small boy, _Tendo told himself.

"I'm Ranma Saotome," the young red head said, then casting a furtive glance at the panda suited Genma, added sheepishly, "Sorry 'bout this,"

But Tendo didn't care. The youngster could come barreling in with a whole army of men in panda suits for all he cared. Tendo, in a blissful stupor, lunged at the young boy and embraced him as he would embrace his own son. He squeezed the young boy tight, tears coming to his eyes until…were those breasts!

He stopped, and squeezed a little harder, pressing the youngsters chest against him as stealthily as possible to be sure. There was definitely some sort of protuberance on the child's chest, and Tendo prayed silently as the horrible truth began to sink in. He pulled away and looked down. They had felt like breasts. The certainly looked like breasts. He ran his hands down the youngster's sides without touching and couldn't help noticing a definite female figure. He then saw the petite-ness of the child more fully for the first time. He was speechless. _There must be a mistake…_he thought frantically. Then, his middle daughter Nabiki came forward and poked at the young girls chest.

"Could you please stop that," the young red head said awkwardly.

"Ranma's not a boy…he's a girl!" Nabiki exclaimed.

Soun blanched. He felt faint. He swayed. His vision began to blur, and the faces of his family were replaced by watery blobs. He felt himself sinking to the ground as his entire world fell apart. _This is it…_he thought miserably as he sunk to the ground, seemingly in slow motion, _The last bit of my life, the last bit of goodness. My one and only hope, has finally been shattered. What did I do in my last life to deserve this!_ He thought miserably. Suddenly, Tendo's mind was filled with grim determination. _No._ He told himself firmly, _No. This is the last straw. This is all I have left for me, this is it, and I am NOT going to let this slip away. I have no sons, no wife, and my school is failing! I will do anything I must to ensure that our schools are united…_

Suddenly, Tendo realized he was no longer falling. He was lying still, in blackness, unable to move or see. And his martial artists senses were tingling to let him know he was not alone. A voice, smooth and sinister, yet not altogether unpleasant, spoke out from the darkness, seeming to be far away and right next to him all at once, and tinged with a slight echo. It said only one word, in the form of a question, and that word was:

"Anything?"

"W-who are you?" Tendo asked, trying to get up and realizing he was unable to move, "Where am I? What do you want?"

"All questions in good time, man," cooed the voice, "But did I hear you say you would do anything to ensure that your schools are united?"

"Well…yes," Tendo admitted, not feeling so sure anymore. He was in a strange place, had no control over himself, and was blind to boot.

The voice chuckled lightly, and there was a sudden light. Tendo found he could move again, and wasted no time in scrambling to his feet. He stood at the ready, but found he was the only one with fighting on his mind. And it wasn't there long because his eyes instantly fell on a tall, slender woman with floor length black hair and wide, pool like eyes. Her lips were full and curled into a mischievous grin. She was rather pleasant to look upon, and despite Soun's reserve, he found himself drawn to her.

"There, there, Dear," She said, "Come, have a seat and tell me what troubles you,"

A small table appeared in the middle of the room, and the woman folded herself to the floor gracefully, fluidly. Tendo watched her for a second before he too took a seat, almost trancelike.

"I am…Tendo…Soun Tendo," Tendo breathed out.

"Yes, I know that," said the woman, "What troubles you?"

Tendo looked at her suspiciously for a second, wondering why he should trust such a mysterious women who had appeared out of nowhere, and where was he anyway? But he found his thoughts were all turning to Jelly. It didn't matter where he was or who this woman was. None of that mattered. Nothing…mattered…Soon, he found he was telling the woman everything. Everything from his childhood days to his wife dying to his lack of sons to his promise with Saotome to Ranma being his last hope, and finally ending with his last hope being shattered when he found that Ranma was a girl.

"I don't know what I have done to deserve such ill luck," Tendo bemoaned, "If only Ranma were a boy, I wouldn't mind the other things so much, but it seems now that they happened only to set me up for this final disappointment. This is the last straw, do you know?"

"Yes, if only Ranma were a boy," The strange woman whispered, her lips curling evilly, then she turned to Tendo and said sweetly, "You poor man, I think I can help you,"

"You do?" Tendo wondered dreamily.

"Yes, absolutely, I can make all your problems go away, if you will just leave it to me," she assured him.

"That would be…" Tendo began, "But why would you want to help me? I mean, you barely know me…"

"Sweet, simple Soun," the woman cooed, lightly touching Tendo's cheek, "Helping people is what I _do_! I heard your plea, and I have come to help you, but I'll need you to trust me. Do you trust me?"

"I trust you…" Tendo said vaguely, looking into the woman's hypnotizing eyes and coy smile.

"I need you to leave it in my hands…" she continued.

"It's…in your hands…" Tendo went on.

"I will take care of everything, sweet pea," she said, letting her fingers run down Tendo's cheek and off his face.

"You'll…take care of…everything…" Tendo whispered.

"That's right," the woman said, a slightly wicked grin lighting her features, "You have nothing to fear. You leave it all in my hands. I will make everything perfect…"

"Perfect…" Tendo mouthed, barely even a whisper now, his eyelids were drooping and he found himself barely able to concentrate on anything, not even the woman's unparalleled beauty, her sweet, honey like voice, her deep, comforting eyes…

"All you need to do," the woman said naturally, "Is sign this paper. Just a trifle, a technicality. So I can file the paperwork once I have given you your dream world. It's no trouble, is it?"

"No…trouble…" Tendo said as he lifted the pen and scrawled out his name languidly.

"Now then," the woman said crisply, so much so that Tendo was shaken out of his stupor, "You run along back to your little home and when you get there, everything will be perfect,"

"What are you going to do?" Tendo wondered curiously, slowly beginning to come back to himself.

"Don't you worry yourself with the what and how," the woman said, waving her hand airily, "Just leave it to me,"

"But…" Tendo began, but was unable to finish before the woman and the room with its single table began to fade from sight. Soon, he began to smell fresh miso soup and see bright sunlight pouring in through the open screen.

"What's he like Daddy?" Nabiki wondered.

Tendo heard himself laughing and heard himself answer his daughter. Several more moments went by until he heard the front door open and a young voice protesting out loudly.

"That must be Ranma!" Nabiki said as she leapt to her feet. Tendo followed, along with his other two daughters, and was surprised to find a large panda walking towards them with a teenager slung over his shoulder.

"Are these your friends father?" Kasumi asked curiously.

_Not a man in a Panda suit…a PANDA! _Soun was shouting in his head, _Where is Saotome? Why is there a Panda in my hallway? A panda! What's going on? _He shook his head violently.

"Oh, a panda just _happened_ to decide to stop by?" Akane asked sarcastically.

_Oh Gods. Oh Gods no. _Soun thought as the horrible truth hit him. Who had that woman been? Why had he made a deal with her? He knew nothing about her at all and now it looked like she had turned his best friend into a panda. He shook his head violently again, as if he could shake away what he was seeing. The panda placed the youngster in front of them, and Soun's heart sank when he saw that the child was just as small and just as buxom as before.

"I'm Ranma Saotome," the girl said, "Sorry 'bout this,"

Soun found himself moving against his will, moving towards the child and embracing her. He felt himself pressing her closer to him just as he had before, and he cringed silently as he felt her breasts against his chest, reminded painfully of his earlier disappointment. He felt himself push back and run his hands down her side. He saw Nabiki move forward to poke the young girl. He heard her announce, "Ranma's not a boy! He's a girl!" But he wasn't paying attention to any of this. He was, instead, wracking his brain trying to find out who that strange woman was and just how much damage he had done by making a deal with her, by falling into her trap. He knew he had heard of her before…_KALLA! Oh Gods, it was Kalla! The chaos Demon who lulls her victims into false trust before convincing them to sign over their lives so she can make as much of a mess as possible!_ Soun felt himself sinking to the ground as the full impact of what he had just done began to hit him, and for the first time since he had woken up in the past, he felt like he was reacting directly to his own thought and not being moved along mechanically by magical forces. He had stupidly, selfishly only been thinking of himself, been wallowing in self-pity, and so he fell right into her trap! There was no telling what she could have done to his life! To his family! She had clearly turned his best friend into a Panda, and Soun seriously doubted it ended there. He sunk lower and hit he ground, hearing his daughters sweet voices call out to him as he faded from consciousness. _Oh Gods…what have I done…_

Soun blinked and saw many familiar faces. His daughters were at his bedside. The young girl and the panda were there too. _Keep cool,_ he told himself, _Just play it cool until you know the full extent of what Kalla has done. No need to panic everyone quite yet, right? No. _

"I can't believe this!" Nabiki was saying, "Daddy, this is all your fault! Don't you know he difference between a girl and a boy?"

"I assumed my friend Saotome's son was a _boy_," Tendo said bitterly and honestly, forgetting for a moment about the mess he had gotten himself and his friends into. _After all, _He thought, _If Saotome hadn't gotten my hopes up like that, none of this would ever have happened! Ah well, he's a panda now, that's more than enough punishment until I figure out how to change him back._

"Does this look like a boy to you, huh Daddy?" Nabiki said, once again poking the meek red heads breasts.

"Please, I wish you'd stop that," the girl mumbled awkwardly.

"You heard her, Nabiki!" Akane said, "Girl or not, she' still our guest…"

Soun sat up and blinked as the dizziness passed. _Just play along until you know what you are dealing with, _He assured himself once more, _No need to panic…_

And he didn't. Soun went through the next several hours not panicking, keeping an almost eerie calm about him, waiting for the next bomb to drop. If everything he had heard about Kalla was true, turning his best friend into a panda was NOT the end of his troubles. Besides, it didn't even solve his problem, so something else had to be coming. He waited. And then, there it was. And sadly, it was one of the most disappointing let downs Tendo had ever faced. As he sat in the parlor, sipping his tea and anxiously awaiting his fate, a man walked in to join him. A rather familiar man. A large, bald man with glasses and a blue bandana. A man named Genma Saotome who at the moment was making his heart sing for relief.

Kalla hadn't turned Saotome into a panda! Saotome was just late, and that other Ranma Saotome, the busty red head, was an imposter. Or her and the panda would disappear altogether. Then, this Saotome Genma, the human one, would come in and embrace his old friend. He would then introduce his three tall, strong, manly sons. Tendo's daughters would fall madly in love with them, and they would all marry and carry on the schools.

But this, unfortunately, was not the case. Saotome's expression was far too somber to make this a happy ending. His eyes were far too sad, his mouth was far too grim. He sat down far too heavily and sighed far too loudly. Tendo looked at him and said, forgetting that he was supposed to be playing it cool, "Something terrible has happened. Tell me what it is."

And so Saotome told him. He told him of how his son Ranma and him had traveled to China to train at Jusenkyo, only to fall in and be cursed. When splashed with cold water they take their cursed forms. Warm water returns them to normal.

"I am the panda from before," Genma finished, "And my son, Ranma, becomes that…girl,"

Genma dissolved into tears at this last part, sobbing over his fate. His old friend Soun cried with him, but his were tears of guilt. He had done this. He had done this to them, ruined their lives! This was it. This was what his stupidity, his weakness, his selfishness had caused. _This can't be happening!_ Soun wailed silently, _What have I done! I have to fix this, I have to!_ Then, an idea struck him, _I'll to ANYTHING to fix this! ANYTHING!_

"Anything?" said a horrifyingly familiar voice, no longer remotely pleasant now that he knew to whom it belonged.

"Kalla! Please! You have to fix this! Undo it! Please!" Soun begged. The light flashed on and he saw the tall, slender form of Kalla reclining in a chair with a cigarette in her hand.

"Oh, it's you," she said, seemingly un-amused, "What do you want?"

Soun noticed she wasn't acting nearly as sugary sweet as she had been before. "Please, you have to undo it! Undo what you did!"

"Haha! Foolish mortal!" She laughed, "Do you even know fully what I did? How do you even know I did anything?"

Soun blinked.

"You hadn't spoken to Saotome in years, for all you know it could have been like that BEFORE I got involved. I am basically messing with complete strangers. I COULD have changed one of your own daughters into a boy, but I decided to be nice to you. I like you."

"Well…thank you," Soun said carefully, realizing her full power and not wanting to make her angry, "Thank you for not doing that, but I have to ask you to undo whatever you did. I can live with it, honestly!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Kalla said offhandedly examining her fingernails.

"You have to! Please! I…"

"HAVE TO?" Kalla barked, "I don't HAVE TO do anything! I have your signature! I can do whatever I please to you and anyone involved with you! I can be as cruel or as kind as I want to, and you cant say or do a thing about it!"

"But…please!" Soun begged pathetically, "Please! Saotome is my oldest friend! I cannot bear to be responsible for…for…this!"

"Oldest friend?" Kalla, sneered, "He was planning to trick you. He was coming to your home to finagle you into giving him free room and board!"

"What?" Tenod said.

"Him and his daughter had been training in China, when they ran out of money, Saotome wrote you to say he was coming to make good on that deal about uniting your schools. He has no sons, he never did. His wife became sterile after their daughter was born. Their one and only daughter, Ranma Saotome. Genma hadn't even told his daughter where they were going until they arrived, and then only to tell her she had to face you. He hid himself in that foolish panda suit so he wouldn't have to explain that he had no sons and had gotten up your hope for nothing. He was then going to stay at your home, eating all your food and never paying a dime! And you feel SORRY for what you did to this man?"

Soun blanched. He had to admit, that did sound like his old friend Saotome. She had him there, but regardless…"Of course I do! Dishonorable or not, Saotome is still my best friend! And what about his daughter? That poor girl is innocent in all of this!"

"Yeah, well, sometimes the innocent do fall," Kalla said dismissively.

"You mean you are just going to turn her into a boy, just like that? And not even a NORMAL boy! A boy who thinks he is cursed when he is turning back into his…er…her original self? How heartless can you possibly be!"

"You'd be surprised," Kalla shrugged, "But that's not the end. I have had to alter the memories of every person the Saotome's have ever had contact with. Oh what a tangled web we weave…And you do know what happens when memories are altered, right?"

Soun glared at her, afraid to ask because with this new beastly attitude she was flaunting, he was certain it wasn't something good.

"Chaos!" Kalla practically purred, "Unbridled, unstoppable, constant chaos. Chaos will follow that boy, his father, your daughters, and you for the rest of his days. Isn't it magnificent?"

"It's despicable," Soun growled.

"To each his own," Kalla shrugged, "But you had better get used to it because there is no way to break this spell except to make another deal with me. And you saw how well your last one worked…care to make another?"

Soun sunk to the ground, shaking. _There really is no way out. All I wanted was a son in law to carry on the school .Now I've gone and destroyed a poor, young, innocent girls life…_

"Mopey, mopey!" Kalla said, mockingly patting Soun's head, "Here I thought you'd be happy! You have a son in law now! Cheer up!"

"I have a panda for a best friend and a gender confused hydrophobiac for a son in law and you are telling me to cheer up?" Soun said.

"Well, you might as well!" Kalla snapped. Standing up suddenly, "Because you are stuck with them for ever!"

And suddenly, Soun was back in his parlor. His eyes were moist, and he heard the stifled sobs of his best friend across the table. He wiped at his eyes and set his mouth. _By the Gods, she was right. She was pure evil, but she was right. This was his fault, and if he couldn't fix it, he was atleast going to do the best he could. _

"Come now, Saotome," Soun choked, "It's not all bad. Here, you and your…son…can stay here. We will unite the schools, just as we promised. Everything will be okay,"

Soun embraced his old friend and patted him on his broad back. _As long as no one ever finds out about this, everything will be okay…_


	2. Random Chaos

_Author's Note: _

_:checks calendar: Oops! I am a little later, aren't I? Sorry! I was in Rome (WOOTYAYAWESOMENESSHOORAYTIMEOFMYLIFEWOOHOO!) so I couldn't update! Sorry! But, here is the next chapter now, better a little late than never or extremely late, right? (Maybe I'll post an extra chapter to make up for the lateness…we'll see)._

_I would like to apologize for the abruptness of endings of the chapters. See, I am writing this in one big file, then cutting the sections out and setting them up to post each time, so there aren't very many natural breaks. Some, and I will try to use them as much as possible, but a lot of time things will end and then pick up several minutes later in the next update…_

_Yeesh! I'm not very coherent today, am I?_

_Ah well. Thanks everyone for your awesome reviews! I haven't been flamed yet! I'm happy:) Enjoy!_

_EDIT_

_This chapter contains the entire Random Chaos section!_

Worlds Fall Apart Random Chaos 

"RAAAAANMAAAAAA!" Came the furious yell from the dining room. But it was not as loud as it could have been, as it would have been were Ranma still in the dining room. No, Ranma was currently running down the street, hurdling fences as fast as his legs would carry him away from the Tendo dojo. Sure he would have to face Akane's wrath later, but better her wrath than her cooking.

_Only a few more fences until I get to school, then I'm home free!_ Ranma thought happily, looking over his shoulder to be sure Akane wasn't following him. He smiled and laughed when he saw she wasn't, and turned back around to look at the towering blue-gray building that would be his sanctuary. Well, sort of. Unfortunately, he never quite made it there as he ran full force into someone who had been standing in the road in front of the school.

It was a male someone. That someone had shaggy black hair and a yellow bandana. He had a huge pack and had been mumbling, "Now where am I? The map says Okinawa post office should be five kilometers to the East…" And now that that someone he had run into was sprawled on the floor under Ranma's feet, he did NOT look happy.

"Ryoga! How's it going?" Ranma jeered, then just to be infuriating he said, "What'cha doing on the ground?"

"Ranma you jerk!" Ryoga roared as he jumped up with such force Ranma was sent flying backwards, only to land perfectly elegantly on a nearby fence, "Leave it to you to follow me all the way to Okinawa just to make fun of me!"

"Ryoga," Ranma sighed mockingly, "Turn around,"

Ryoga glared at Ranma, shaking with rage and turned to see the sign that said Furinkan High School. "Oh," he replied dumbly, turning red.

"Why do you always have to be blaming me for your problems?" Ranma said, jumping off the fence and onto Ryoga's head, then back to the ground, "Huh, P-Chan?"

"Augh! Ranma! Prepare to die!" Ryoga shouted, and then lunged at Ranma lightening fast, pulling out his umbrella, powered by his rage and frustration for the cocky pigtailed boy he was locked in a seemingly endless rivalry with.

Ranma dodged him easily and even managed to pull a face while he was in the air. Ryoga lunged again, only to be dodged once more. Before he got a chance to strike again, a furious yell was heard in the nearby streets.

"RAAAAANMA!" came Akane's voice, floating angrily over the rooftops as she barreled after him.

"Sorry, Pig Boy!" Ranma said as he flipped over Ryoga, tipping his head with his fingers in the air, "Gotta run!"

"Ranma, come back here!" Ryoga shouted as he chased after Ranma's retreating form, "Don't you dare run away! We aren't finished yet!" But he made it only as far as the front gate of the school before the Principal slammed the gate in his face and said in that ludicrously overdone Hawaiian accent, "Sorry, coco! You no go to school, you no enter school! Ha Ha!"

"Fine!" Ryoga shouted, "I'll be waiting here, Ranma! Then you won't be able to run away from our fight!"

"G'mornin', Ryoga!" Akane said as she skidded to a halt in front of the school, "Have you see, Ranma?"

"Akane!" Ryoga said, startled out of his anger and jumping instantly into his hopelessly awkward and shy guy routine that was reserved especially for Akane, "I…uh…heh heh…Hi! How are you?"

"I'm good," Akane said, "But I'm in a hurry, have you seen Ranma?"

"That coward…er…Ranma went into school," Ryoga said dejectedly. _Ranma, Ranma, Ranma! Always about Ranma with her! Every time I try and tell her how I feel, how my heart stops and the world itself stands still whenever I am in her presence, all she can do is talk about Ranma! _Ryoga silently bewailed.

"Thanks!" Akane smiled, and hopped off and into school.

"Oh, Akane…" Ryoga said as he watched her retreating form, "There can be no other woman for me…"

_Let's see…_Ranma thought as he tapped his pencil anxiously on his desk during history class, his last class of the day, _Kuno challenged me in the hall, but he'll probably wait until sunset before he tries to fight me, or possibly tomorrow morning. Daisuke warned me that Shampoo has some new lame brained scheme to try and get me to date her. Akane is giving me the silent treatment…heh, a welcome relief. Ryoga said he'd be waiting for me after school, but the poor shmuck will probably get lost while he's pacing out front, so I won't have to fight him for at least three weeks. Ukyo doesn't seem too dangerous right now, so maybe I can stop by her restaurant for some peace, quiet, and okinomiyaki…_

"So Ranma, is it true you agreed to go on a date with Shampoo?" Hiros$hi whispered while the teacher was writing on the blackboard.

"What?" Ranma nearly shouted, then lowered his voice and leaned in, "Of course not! Where the heck'd you hear something crazy like that?"

"The whole school's saying it!" Hiroshi said, "So you really aren't?"

"No, you know I don't like that crazy Amazon! She's a real pain!" Ranma confirmed.

"Ranma, just so you know, I heard that from Shinobu who heard it from Kagome who says Shampoo told her," the girl behind Ranma whispered.

"And you know Kagome," another girl added, "She's a real gossip queen!"

"Oooooh," Ranma said, and sat back up in his chair. He knew what she was trying to pull. _Honestly, this is one of her lamest attempts yet!_ He thought, shaking his head, _She must be running out of ideas…_

RING!

"Finally!" Ranma shouted, jumping up and over a few desks, ready to make a sprint for freedom only to be halted rather rudely at the door by an outraged Akane with a battle aura so big no one in the class, including the teacher, was willing to pass her.

"Where do you think you're going?" Akane demanded.

"Well, I was thinking to go get some food, then maybe head home for dinner, then probably get some training in…" Ranma began, knowing full well where this was going.

"Oh, come off it! You're going on a date with Shampoo, aren't you?" Akane said angrily.

"Geez, Akane! You know me better than that! This is just her latest ploy, you know I'd never date her!" Ranma insisted.

"You…you…liar! Hentai! Jerk!" Akane raged, slamming down a mallet angrily as Ranma dove out of the way repeatedly.

"Didn't you hear a word I said?" he demanded, "I ain't going on a date with Shampoo!"

"You're not?" Akane asked innocently, staying he mallet hand.

"Of course I'm not! Don't be ridiculous!" Ranma laughed, and was very happy to see Akane's rage subsiding considerably.

"Ranma! Time for our date! You come with Shampoo now, kay?" Shampoo said as she dove onto Ranma and hung from his neck shamelessly.

"You're not going on a date with her, huh?" Akane stormed, and was soon chasing Ranma around the classroom once more.

"Ally Oop!" Ranma shouted as he dove out the window, Shampoo still clinging to his neck, and landed on the branch of a tree.

"Good! Now Ranma and Shampoo be alone without that nasty Akane!"

"Oh, shut up, will you?" Ranma said, "I ain't gonna date you and you know that!"

"But…but you said you would! You not going back on your word, are you?" Shampoo demanded angrily.

Ranma sighed and put his head in his hands, "Shampoo, I expected better from you, but this trick is just lame! Starting a rumor around school saying I agreed to date you in hopes that I would forget and go along with it? You really must be out of ideas, huh?"

Shampoo stood stunned, staring at Ranma. He usually wasn't this clever. But little did she know that it had been nearly a year that he was putting up with these shenanigans from everyone, and he was becoming quite good at it. He could smell a deception a mile away. Spot a disguise, not matter how well put together. Heck, he could even decipher the complicated thought processes of all his friends, enemies, and those he wasn't sure what they were to him, which admittedly was most of them. Yes, Ranma was finally learning to cope with the chaos. He was becoming wise to the weirdness. He was in tune to the insanity. And a million other alliterations.

"Sorry, Shampoo!" Ranma said, "It's not gonna work! Later!"

"Ranma! Wait!" She cried, but it was no use, he was gone, and she was simply too stunned to remember to chase after him, "Damn! And I was sure that one work too!"

Right outside the front gates, Ranma landed, wiped the sweat from his brow after his great escape, and prepared to head for home. He figured it was too risky to go to Ukyo's now, and besides, he had to apologize to Akane so she wouldn't keep trying to kill him whenever she saw him, and if he wasn't home right away, it'd be harder to convince her he hadn't been on a date with Shampoo. That's right, just a few blocks until he was home, waiting for Kasumi's delicious dinner, vegging out in front of the TV, and…

"Ranma! How dare you hurt Akane like that!" Ryoga shouted as he dove at Ranma.

Ranma dove out of the way just in time and said in surprise, "Ryoga! You're still here?"

"Of course, where do you think I would have gone?" he shouted back.

"I dunno, thought you'd have wandered off by now," Ranma shrugged.

"Ha! Like I'd ever run off from a man to man fight!" Ryoga sneered.

"Well, actually…" Ranma began, but stopped short as he jumped over Ryoga's steel umbrella. _Ah well, it's pointless to try and explain that it was HIM that ran out on our _

_fight and not me, I've tried a thousand times_! Ranma thought.

"Enough talking and fight!" Ryoga shouted.

"And why are we fighting this time?" Ranma wondered as he ducked another blow.

"Because you hurt Akane!" Ryoga said as he lunged forward.

"And how'd I do that?" Ranma asked as he sidestepped.

"By agreeing to date Shampoo after school today!" Ryoga accused him as he aimed a kick to his face.

"Oh, I'm dating Shampoo after school today?" Ranma wondered curiously as he tilted his head nonchalantly to the side to avoid the kick.

"Don't play dumb with me!" Ryoga demanded, twirling his umbrella overhead and bringing it down to where Ranma was standing.

"Funny," Ranma said as he jumped out of the way, "Cause it seems a lot like I am fighting you after school today,"

Ryoga stopped, umbrella still in the air for his next attack, and blinked.

"See, maybe if you'd listen or stop to think once in a while!" Ranma said, "You're just like Akane! Always jumping to conclusions! You two were practically made for each

other!"

This, of course, had sealed the deal. Ryoga's eyes got all big and shiny and he said, "You…you…you think so? Made for each other?"

"Uh huh," Ranma said, "You're both stubborn, angry, slow…"

"How dare you just toss her aside like that!" Ryoga shouted suddenly, and attacked once more.

The attack was so sudden it caught Ranma off guard, and he managed to back step, but just barely, and had to continue stepping backwards to avoid all further attacks. Ryoga had him at his advantage now.

"Let…me…get…this…straight…" Ranma said in between his dodges and back steps, "You are angry when I want Akane, and angry when I don't want her?"

"It's not fair to poor Akane!" Ryoga said, "Besides, it's the way you say it!"

Ranma winced. Ryoga had a point there, it wasn't fair for him to keep dragging Akane along like this, never admitting to having feelings but never denying them either. "How I say it?" he wondered instead because it was a far easier topic.

"You either…insult her…treat her like dirt…or act like…a…pervert!" Ryoga said, then grunted as he swing his umbrella forward and nailed Ranma right in the stomach. Ranma went flying backwards, and as his luck would have it, right into a fountain.

"Damnit, Ryoga! What'd you do that for?" Ranma said when she surfaced, red haired, big bosomed, and thoroughly wet.

"Do you even love her?" Ryoga asked, suddenly somber and no longer looking remotely like he wanted to fight.

"What?" Ranma asked, startled by the question.

"Just tell me, I'm just curious. Do you even love her?" Ryoga said again, his eyes and face all serious. He was now in his sappy, depressed mood and no longer looked angry. Ranma wasn't sure which was worse…Now Ranma had to humor him or he'd want to fight even more. And all Ranma wanted to do was eat dinner. He certainly did NOT want to discuss questions he didn't know the answer to.

"Well, I…I don't know," Ranma said finally, blinking at Ryoga from her wet blue eyes. Ranma shook her head and stood up, wringing out her clothes before getting out of the fountain.

"It's not a hard question! You either do or you don't!" Ryoga said, "Which is it?"

"Look, maybe it's not a hard question for you," Ranma snapped, "But…it is for me, okay?"

Ranma shook her head and turned to leave. She had had enough of this. She'd answered his stupid question as honestly as she could, and now she was going home. She was wet, uncomfortable, tired, and her stomach was starting to hurt from hunger and also where Ryoga had hit her.

"Why?" Ryoga asked.

Ranma sighed and turned around. She had so been hoping he would have just dropped it. "Why, what, Ryoga?"

"Why is it such a hard question?" Ryoga asked.

"Well…because…it just is okay?" Ranma said, but this didn't appear to be answer enough for Ryoga, and she said, "Sometimes…it's just...I think she's cute and all, you know, on occasion. And I care what she thinks, I can't deny that. And I want to protect her…but, I don't know. Maybe we're just friends? Maybe we're something more. I don't know…maybe too many people expect me to love her…so I think I do…or maybe I think I don't…I don't know."

"If you care so much about her, then why do you hurt her?" Ryoga asked.

"I don't mean too. Well, I don't try particularly hard not to, but…look, it's just our way, okay? I think it passed into good-natured bickering a long time ago. We just do it out of habit, mostly. When it gets serious, I do try and be nicer…"

"If you don't really love her, you should let her go. Stop tying her up and forcing her to be your fiancée," Ryoga said.

"Hey! Nobody's forcing anybody…well, our parents are, but that's not our fault!" Ranma snapped, "And why don't you butt out, P-Chan! You're just telling me this so that as soon as she's free you can swoop in like a hawk and take her for your own!"

Ryoga grimaced and began to turn red with anger again. _Man do that boys moods change fast!_ Ranma thought, _Manic Depressive much?_ Ryoga lunged at Ranma again, and Ranma began the dance of the dodge like before.

"Come on, Ryoga! Quit it! I don't feel like fighting right now!" Ranma said. And it was the truth. Ryoga's sudden little "talk" had gotten him thinking, and it was never good to fight when you had something else on your mind. It made you sloppy. That was Ryoga's problem. He always fought when he was furiously angry or something, so he couldn't concentrate as well. That's why he could never master the Hirou Shoten Ha. You couldn't have even a trace of battle aura for it to work.

Ryoga ignored Ranma, continuing to strike with his steel umbrella, so Ranma chose a different approach. A fun approach. An approach that would surely invoke Ryoga's wrath further, but would be damn funny at the moment. She jumped backwards and fell to the ground, then began to wail loudly in as girly a cry as she could muster, "Oh! Ow! No! Ryoga! Stop! Please! Don't hit me! I'm just a frail, innocent girl! Please stop! Ow! Wah!"

Ryoga stopped instantly when Ranma began to cry out and hissed, "What are you doing?"

"Ohhhhh! Ow! Please! Please don't hit me anymore!" Ranma continued, curled into the most pathetic ball on the floor she could manage.

"Ranma! Stop! People are starting to look!" Ryoga begged, glancing nervously at the concerned stares of passerby.

"I'm sorry! Please don't hit me, Ryoga! I'll never question you again! Please forgive me!"

"RANMA! Stop! Please!" Ryoga was begging in as low a voice as he could, "They're gonna think…come on! Stop! Please!"

"Say you'll forgive me! Say you won't hurt me anymore!" Ranma said, raising her eyebrows deviously at Ryoga from the ground. _This little bit of humiliation is SO worth it to see his face!_ Ranma thought.

"I-I-I forgive you…" Ryoga said.

"And?"

"And I…I won't hurt you anymore," He continued, blushing the deepest red possible and glancing awkwardly at the crowd that was forming around them now.

Ranma grinned when she saw that people were, indeed, watching them rather concernedly now, and decided to go for the final blow, "Do you…:sniff:…do you still love me?"

"WHAT?" Royga practically shouted, "Have you gone completely out of your mind?"

Ranma began to wail pathetically again, and was pleased to see a group of young women shaking their heads in disgust at Ryoga nearby.

"Honestly, the nerve of men these days! They have no idea how to treat a lady anymore!" an older woman said.

"I think it may be more serious than that," another woman said, "Perhaps we should call the police?"

Ranma whined again and managed to disguise her laughter as a whimper.

"Okay, okay, I do, I'm sorry, I forgive you, please get up!" Ryoga said hurriedly, practically begging now.

"You do what?" Ranma said coaxingly.

Ryoga stared at her, open mouthed, too appalled to speak.

"Well?" Ranma said, thoroughly pleased with how well this plan was working. _And I just wanted to get him to stop fighting me! Now it looks like he won't be able to even look at me! Well, I'm not complaining!_

"Loveyou," Ryoga whispered hurriedly, seventeen different shades of red.

"What's that? I didn't hear you, honey!" Ranma said.

"I said I love you, okay? Now get up! Quit it already!" Ryoga practically shouted, face redder and redder by the moment with embarrassment.

As a grand finale, Ranma jumped up and slung her arms around Ryoga's neck coquettishly. The crowd cheered, and Ryoga pushed her off, then turned and stormed away angrily. Ranma couldn't blame him, it was a rather evil thing to do. But then again, she didn't really care! It was downright hilarious!

"Ryoga! Oh, Ryoga dear!" Ranma called out as she chased after him. Admittedly, she should have dropped it by then. It had served its purpose, Ryoga no longer wanted to fight. Now he just wanted to crawl into a hole and die. But could Ranma leave it at that? No! Of course not!

"You…you…JERK!" Ryoga shouted as he spun around, "You have no shame, do you? You always go on about hating your stinking curse, then every little scrape you get into you can't WAIT to jump at the opportunity to use it against your enemies! You are so dishonorable! You're cheap! You're a coward! You are no man!"

"Harsh words, Pig Boy!" Ranma said, "But hey, there is nothing wrong with using my weaknesses to my advantage! And besides…it' SO funny to watch your squirm like that!"

Ryoga began to positively shake with anger, then growled out, "Ranma….HOW DARE YOU! Come back here! I'm going to kill you!" And chased after Ranma all the way to the Tendo Dojo.

"I'm going to kill him!" Akane growled as she slammed the knife onto the cutting board, making a rather large, uneven chunk of carrot fly into the back of Kasumi's head.

"Ow!" Kasumi said, jumping a little.

"Oh no! Kasumi! I'm so sorry!" Akane said, picking up the carrot and throwing it away, "Are you alright? Did it hit you hard?"

"I'm fine," Kasumi said, rubbing the back of her head slightly, but smiling at her younger sister, "Just…try not to be so angry. Maybe if you weren't angry when you were cooking your food wouldn't be…you wouldn't make as many mistakes,"

"But, I'm not ALWAYS angry," Akane said, trying her hardest to look sweet, innocent, and un-enraged, but the act failed miserably when Ranma walked into the back door.

"Sorry, I'm late. Ryoga wouldn't leave me alone and…Akane!" Ranma said, backing away swiftly. She was in the kitchen, which meant she was near the food, which was never a food sign. But besides that, she was still angry with him and she was currently holding a knife.

"RAAAANMA!" Akane shouted, "Where have you been?"

"Ryoga held me up! I swear! I wasn't on a date with Shampoo! You gotta believe me!" Ranma begged.

"It's true," Nabiki said as she walked into the kitchen, always managing to appear at the first sign of trouble, "I saw him and Ryoga in town,"

"Oh, so you tell Shampoo you'll date her, then you ditch her to fight with poor Ryoga? That doesn't make it any better!" Akane practically screeched.

"What? That's not how it happened! First of all, I never said I would date her, she made it up! And second of all, Ryoga picked a fight with ME!" Ranma said, "God! You are so…so…"

"What am I?" Akane glared.

"Un cute!" Ranma shouted recklessly, "And slow! And…and…Akane! Put down the knife!"

"Akane!" Kasumi scolded her. _Damn, _Akane thought, _I forgot Kasumi was here! She never lets me get away with giving Ranma what he deserves._

"Sorry, Kasumi," Akane said, and looked sheepishly at the ground.

"Don't apologize to me, apologize to Ranma. And Ranma, you should apologize too! You two are fiancées! You should be nice to each other, not fight all the time!" Kasumi scolded gently.

Ranma and Akane glared at each other, but Kasumi was a very hard person to disobey, and with a little gentle coaxing, they apologized. Ranma, for one, was glad. He could now have that evening of peace and quiet he so desperately…

"RANMA! How dare you run out on our fight after you…" Ryoga shouted as burst through the kitchen door.

"Why, hello Ryoga!" Kasumi said politely.

"Hi, Kasumi," Ryoga replied, "Ranma! Do you think you can just humiliate me then run away!"

"How did you even find your way BACK here?" Ranma asked in exasperation.

"I followed you," Ryoga said, "But that's not the point, the point is…"

"Humiliated? Ranma, what did you do to him?" Akane wondered accusingly.

Ryoga turned red, and laughed nervously, "Heh heh…nothing,. Did I say humiliated? I meant…annoyed. He annoyed me. And…erm…made fun of me…that's all. Nothing unusual,"

"Really?" Nabiki said, "You looked pretty embarrassed when you had to tell Ranma you loved him,"

Ryoga practically turned to stone and froze up. _Great! Thanks a lot, Nabiki! Now Akane knows! Oh God! I should just curl up and DIE! This is so embarrassing! This is all Ranma's fault! I will never forgive him for this! _Ryoga thought.

"Ranma!" Akane said, "You know it's not nice to use your girl side to tease Ryoga!"

"Aww, come one, Akane! I was just playing around!" Ranma said, smiling disarmingly.

"Well, maybe YOU see it like that, but Ryoga is a sensitive guy! You could be hurting his feelings, right Ryoga? Ryoga?" Akane tried, but poor Ryoga was still to frozen with mortification

When he finally did snap out of it, it was only to say, in that horribly overdramatic way he has, "Good bye, Akane! We may never see each other again!" and then run out the doorway.

"Well, we won't see him for three weeks," Ranma said jokingly as she went for the kettle to borrow some water.

"Ranma! I think you really hurt his feelings!" Akane scolded.

"He was asking for it," the now male Ranma shrugged.

"It's really unfair the way you treat him, you know," Akane said, shaking her head.

"What do you mean?" Ranma asked.

"I mean, he's traveling all the time, so he doesn't really have many friends. I'd say you are the closest friend he has, and you are always picking fights with him, so he probably thinks you hate him!" Akane explained.

Ranma blanched. Not because of Ryoga, but because what Akane had said reminded him of what Ryoga had said earlier. _We've been engaged almost a year now…I really…we should really talk about this…_Ranma thought, _I mean, it won't be too long before our parents try to get us married…again…for real this time, and I really need to know how I feel…and how she feels. Ah man, I bet that won't be fun!_ Then he realized Akane was still staring at him, so he shot off the most sarcastic, "Yeah, poor Ryoga, my very best friend. I really oughta treat him to ice cream and a movie more often to show I care. Pfft!"

Then, Ranma receded into the quiet of his room, hoping the shenanigans for the day had been worn out. Of course, they would start again tomorrow, but for a few hours, at least, he would have peace…Or maybe the Akane thing would plague his mind so thoroughly he wouldn't be able to lie still. _Damnit! This is all Ryoga's stupid fault!_ Ranma cursed, _bringing it up and making me think about it and all…but he's right. I really have to figure this out. Our Dads are up to something, and whatever it is, it can not be good…so I had better figure this out soon…_

Ranma got up off the floor, and went into the kitchen. Akane had (Thank God) given up on helping with the meal that night, and was nowhere to be seen.

"Kasumi, I'm going for a walk, do you need anything at the store?" Ranma asked.

"Why thank you, Ranma! How sweet!" Kasumi said, "Yes, I could use some more onions, we hardly have any left, would you pick some up for me?"

"Sure thing, be back soon," Ranma said, and walked out the door and towards the store. Of course, he did not intend to solve his problem with onions. But he did have a plan. He would stop somewhere in town, maybe a magic shop, or a Chinese remedies store, and ask for their help. He could ask Cologne, but if he told her what it was for she would probably poison him with some love potion. Actually, even if he didn't tell he what it was for, she'd probably poison him with some love potion. Besides, he wanted to keep this a secret….if Akane found out…

"Ling Chao's Magical Herbs and Remedies" Ranma read, "They might be able to help me here,"

As he walked into the store, he browsed the shelves for a moment, feeling very awkward and out of place in a store like that, before going to the front desk.

"Hi," he said nervously once he got there, very glad that he had never seen the clerk before, making this conversation a lot easier, "I was wondering if you had…if you could help me…"

"What do you need?" the man asked politely.

"Well, I don't know yet…" Ranma admitted, "I think I need a truth serum…or something,"

"Girlfriend been unfaithful?" The clerk wondered with a wink.

"No, nothing like that," Ranma said, "The thing is…there's this girl…and our parents engaged us a long time ago, before we were born probably, and we don't got any say in it, and it's a real pain, but I don't know, I think I may love her, but maybe I don't, and maybe I do but I don't want to give Pop the satisfaction, or maybe I only think I do cause everyone expects it…I don't know…And I need to know because we're getting older and they are going to marry us soon, I think they are planning something cause they keep going out and coming back looking all suspicious, and…"

"I have just the thing!" the clerk laughed, holding up his hands, "Essence of Clarity. It is a rare and unique formula that takes three decades to brew. Very valuable, very dangerous if used improperly. One dose of this and a session of meditation, and your mind will be clear on any issue bothering you,"

"Perfect…" Ranma breathed out quietly as he gently took the bottle.

"It is quite expensive normally," the clerk said awkwardly, "But I can see you have great need of it, so I will cut you as much of a break as possible. It's not likely that I will sell it for a while anyway. You can have it for 10,000 yen,"

"10,000 yen!" Ranma groaned. He had it, but barely. That practically wiped out his entire savings. _Well, I guess I'd better…I need to settle this once and for all…_ "Fine…" he said, "It's a deal,"

"You won't regret it m'boy!" The clerk said, taking Ranma's money, "Let me go get you a bag and some proper wrapping,"

Ranma nodded and waited at the desk while the store clerk disappeared. _Soon, everything is gonna be clear…for once…_

Ranma shifted his weight anxiously as he waited for the clerk to return. The whole concept was just too much for him…soon, everything would be clear. There would be no more confusion; maybe he could even get the chaos to stop, or at least ease up a bit. _I mean, a lot of this is probably because I can't make up my mind, right? I mean, if it turns out I _do_ love her, and we…get married…then, well, everyone will have to stop chasing us, right? _Ranma was so lost in his thoughts that he hardly noticed someone come in the door.

"Ranma?" someone said, and it startled Ranma so much he nearly hit the ceiling and knocked over a display case with colorful crystals and glass vials.

"Mousse!" Ranma breathed, his heart pounding. He had so been hoping not to run into anyone, he really didn't want to explain what he was doing. At least it was just Mousse, and not Shampoo or Kodachi or Kuno or someone horribly difficult. "What are you doing here?" Ranma asked awkwardly.

"Picking up some Blessed Chamomile for Shampoo and Ukyo, they are doing some sort of project, and Shampoo asked me to pick up some ingredients," Mousse explained, practically swelling with pride and joy that Shampoo wanted his help.

"Well, then you probably want to give them _this_," Ranma said, and grabbed a box of Blessed Chamomile and took the box Mousse was holding, "And not Cursed Frog Legs,"

Mousse put on his glasses in surprise and looked carefully at the boxes, "Oh…ummm…thanks,"

"No problem, man," Ranma replied, glad to see he caught Mousse on a good day. He was really a reasonable guy when Shampoo wasn't involved or…well, around at all.

"Say, what are you doing here?" Mousse asked.

"Me? Huh? Oh! Nothing!" Ranma said, stepping on front of the small vial of Essence of Clarity just as Mousse began to squint at the label, "Kasumi needed some…erm…lavendar…for a tea she is making, and she said this shop has the best quality,"

"Okay," Mousse said skeptically.

Just then the storeowner came back and said, "Here's a box for you. Now, make sure to read the directions COMPLETELY, it is very important,"

"Yeah, sure, thanks!" Ranma called as he practically ran out of the door, thoroughly shaken. _I don't even know what I have to feel guilty about! _Ranma thought to himself as he ran home, _Geez! My heart is pounding! I guess it's just 'cause everything's gonna be clear soon. I won't have any more questions or doubts…Everything is going to fall into place…_

_I can't believe I forgot the onions!_ Ranma scolded himself again as he set up multiple candles and incense in the dojo. He hung a sign on the door that said "Do Not Disturb" and seriously hoped that was enough to keep people out of his hair for an hour or so.

"Okay, I think I got everything," he said as he checked over the list, "Burn Frankincense in the four corners of an empty room. Place candles between the burning incense. Place a mat of leaves in the center of the room and an oil burner in front of it. Place three drops of Essence of Clarity on the oil burner. Light the oil burner then meditate for one hour. Anything in your mind that is unclear will be revealed to you in perfect clarity. Got it all."

Ranma put the three drops of the Essence of Clarity on the oil burner and sat down on the mat of leaves, legs crossed. He skimmed over the rest of the book, "Do not let yourself be disturbed, never under any circumstances mix Essence of Clarity with love potions, sleeping potions, paralysis potions, other clarity potions, yadda yadda yadda, come on! What are the chances of that! Time to get this thing over with…"

And with that, he put down the booklet and began his breathing techniques, clearing his mind, trying hard to control his quickly beating heart. _It's all gonna be over soon. Soon, everything is going to change…_

And oh how right he was. After that day, nothing would ever be the same for Ranma Saotome. It would never be the same for Genma Saotome, Akane Tendo, Ryoga Hibiki, Tatewaki Kuno, Kodachi Kuno, Uokyo Kuonji, Shampoo, Mousse, Cologne, and all the other colorful characters that had become such a large and prominent part of Ranma Saotome's life.

Just as the sun began to go down outside, Ranma passed into a deeper level of meditation. And just as the scent of the Essence of Clarity, a flowery and fruity smell with a hint of bitterness, reached his nose, just as the mass of jumbled thoughts and emotions in Ranma's head began to rearrange themselves into some sort of sense, Ranma's world began to fall apart.

And it began with a bang. A bang followed by a crash, and followed by Shampoo and Ukyo storming into the dojo and lunging towards Ranma. Both girls were carrying ceramic bowls, and both girls threw those bowls to the ground in front of Ranma. The contents seemed to explode and form curls of smoke in the air.

"What the-" Ranma began, feeling strange as his meditation was broken and his thoughts began to jumble once more.

"That's right, Ranma-honey!" Ukyo said, "Breathe in my clarity potion and tell her I'm the one you love most!"

"No! Ranma breathe in Shampoo's potion and Ranma say he love Shampoo most!" Shampoo said.

"Hey! Why is your potion pink?" Ukyo said suddenly, "You little…you mixed in a love potion, didn't you?"

"No!" Shampoo said, "Why Shampoo play dirty trick like that?"

"You did! That's it! If you can't fight fair, neither will I!" Ukyo said, and reached for her spatula, but never got that far.

She was instantly crushed by a manically laughing figure twirling a ribbon psychotically in the air. "Hahahahahahahahahaha!" Kodachi laughed, "Oh Ranma, dear! I have come to take you away from these spinsters and bring you to my home!" And she instantly dove at him and forced a cup of liquid down his throat.

"Kodachi! Gah! Wha…Oh no! Was that…paralysis potion?" Ranma asked in confusion.

But he got no answer because just at that moment, Kuno barged in and began to rebuke his sister for her inappropriate affection for the foul sorcerer Saotome and to inquire as to where his lovely pig tailed Goddess was and to shake Ranma demanding he set her free so they can reunite in their love. But his demands were interrupted when Ryoga stormed in shouting, "Prepare to die Ranma! I will not suffer this humiliation!" But he never even reached his umbrella before Mousse was grabbing him and shouting, "My darling, Shampoo!" Soon, Akane was in the room shouting, "What on Earth is going on here! Ranma you idiot! Why do you always have to make such a mess!"

Things erupted into a general free for all, and no one seemed to notice that Ranma simply sat there, knuckles white and hands bleeding as he gripped the broken ceramics on the ground in pain. In his head there was a free for all, but it was of an entirely different sort. Images of all manner of things were flashing wildly through his head, too fast for him to make sense of them. The colors were blindingly bright, the sounds deafeningly loud,. The smells nauseatingly realistic, and what's worse, it was all beginning to make his head pound. The images began to meld together and to linger and shoot across the picture in his mind, and his head began to throb and pound and a sharp pain shot through him. He clenched his eyes shut so hard tears pricked the corners, and he was pretty sure the ceramic piece was a good way into his hand by now, but he was too confused, his mind moving too rapidly to notice the pain. It just got lost with every other sensation he was having. He seemed to be experiencing every sight, sound, thought, smell, taste, and feeling he had ever experienced in his life, and some he was sure he had never experienced before all at once. He began to moan as the pain grew unbearable.

"Hahahahaha! Brother dear! Your pigtailed Goddess is nothing more than a fickle hussy! It is thoroughly ridiculous!" Kodachi said.

"No, fool sister, it is you affection for the foul Saotome that is ridiculous!" Kuno roared.

"You are both ridiculous! And sick!" Ryoga said to them.

"I can't believe you put a love potion in that!" Ukyo shouted, swinging her spatula at Shampoo, "You cheated! We swore no tricks when we decided to make the clarity potion! This was supposed to be fair and square!"

"Shampoo love Ranma too much to take any chances!" Shampoo said.

"Oh so you admit he must love me more then?" Ukyo replied.

"He loves neither of you! Ranma-darling has eyes only for me!" Kodachi shouted.

"What are you guys doing in my house! You are going to destroy our dojo!" Akane screeched, "Ooooh! Ranma you are going to pay for this!"

"Shut up, angry un-cute fiancée and let real competition handle this!" Shampoo demanded.

"Hey! Who's going to pay for these damages?" Nabiki shouted as she entered the room.

And so it went on, and so these sounds mixed with the near torturous clamor in Ranma's head, and so the pain in Ranma's head increased until he was literally screaming in pain. He stood up and stumbled backwards, hands clutching his head, and he screamed. The scream was loud and blood curdling, but it could scarcely be heard over the din the others were making. In fact, no one paid Ranma any heed at all until Ryoga said, "Hey! Something's wrong with Ranma!"

And then, everyone looked. They watched in horror as he screamed and screamed, ear piercing shouts of pain. They all rushed towards him, but he was thrashing so wildly that no one could get near to him.

_What's…going…on…_Ranma managed to think, but the thought was nearly lost in the madness in his head. His fathers face, the smell of freshly cooked okinomiyaki, a pain on his cheek as if he had just been slapped. _Oh…Gods!_ Finally, the madness stopped, and he saw one image before he saw nothing, heard nothing, tasted nothing, smelled nothing, and felt nothing: a tall, slender woman laughing in pure uninhibited joy at his pain, at the

unequivocal chaos.


	3. Overdose

**Worlds Fall Apart**

**Overdose**

"Ranma! Ranma! Wake up! Quit fooling around! Come on, you jerk!" Ryoga shouted at Ranma, too preoccupied to notice the panic he was feeling.

"Ha! The foul sorcerer has apparently mingled in something too big for his puny self" Kuno said cockily, "I'm afraid I do not weep for the loss,"

"Just shut up, Kuno!" Akane shouted, "Nabiki! Go call Dr. Tofu! Quickly!"

Nabiki ran from the room, and the others just stared on in shock and amazement at the scene before them. Akane and Ryoga shook Ranma and slapped his face, but got no response.

"Oh no, Ranma-honey! Oh no!" Ukyo said, shaking. She had never seen anything quite like it before. It was like his head was going to explode the way he screamed. She had seen him hurt in battle plenty of times. He had been knocked out more times than she could remember, but this was different. It was something to do with magic, she knew it, and that meant it wasn't your run of the mill concussion from which Ranma could easily recover, he had amazing recovery skills like that, no, this was something different and none of them knew what it was it had happened so suddenly.

"Everyone get out of the way!" Dr. Tofu said as he stormed into the room with his travel medical kit.

Obediently, everyone backed away. Not even Kodachi or Kuno made argument. Dr. tofu was an altogether pleasant man, but when he meant business, no one argued. He knelt down by Ranma's side and began to poke and prod and feel his aura. He took a look at the surrounding scene of disaster.

"What happened?" he asked.

"We were the first here," Ukyo said, motioning towards Shampoo, her voice trembling, "Ranma was…I think he was meditating, and Shampoo and I came in with a clarity potion we had concocted earlier…you know, to determine which of us he loved. She had mixed love potion in with hers, so we started to fight. Then, everyone else ran in and we got so distracted we didn't even notice something was wrong until Ranma started screaming his head off like he was in terrible pain, then he collapsed…that's…that's it…"

Dr. Tofu grimaced, "That can't be all…it doesn't make any sense…what was he doing before you go here?"

"Meditating, that's what it looked like," Ukyo said.

"No, was doing spell," Shampoo said, taking note for the first time of the candles and incense and the strange smell that still lingered in the air.

"How do you know?" Ukyo said.

"Is set up for spell…but what spell…" Shampoo said.

"Right!" Mousse blurted out, "I saw him earlier at the magic shop! He said he was buying something for Kasumi, and then he rushed out like he was hiding something! I had forgotten!"

"Do you know what he was buying?" Dr. Tofu asked.

"I…I couldn't see the label, it was a vial of something…" Mousse admitted.

"Try hard to remember, this is very important!" Dr. Tofu pressed.

"Essence of Clarity…" Ryoga said suddenly.

Dr. Tofu went white, hoping he had misheard, "What was that?"

Ryoga held up the vial he had picked up off the ground next to Ranma's collapsed form.

"Oh Gods…" Dr. Tofu said, sounding thoroughly panicked, "Oh Gods no…"

"What? What's wrong? Is he going to be okay?" Akane asked desperately, tears streaming down her face.

"I…we need to get him to my office and out of this room, it still stinks of potions," Dr. Tofu said suddenly, "Ryoga, would you help me carry Ranma to my office?"

"Huh? Sure," Ryoga said, and hoisted Ranma onto his shoulders, then followed after Dr. Tofu.

"I want every single person here to come to my office too, okay?" Dr. Tofu said sternly.

Everyone nodded, and only Kuno had to be persuaded. Nabiki grabbed him and managed to convince him his pig tailed princess would be there if only he did everything Dr. Tofu said.

And so, with Dr. Tofu leading Ryoga who kept wandering in the entirely wrong direction, and the rest of the group following close behind, they came quickly to Dr. Tofu's office.

"Here, lay him down on this bed," Dr. Tofu instructed, and Ryoga obeyed quietly and quickly. "Stay here," Dr. Tofu continued, "I am going to go fetch some chairs for the others,"

Ryoga nodded numbly, noticing for the first time how dry his throat was. He swallowed, trying to moisten his mouth. _Why am I so worried? It's not even like I LIKE Ranma! I hate him! In fact, I am usually the one trying to hurt him! Why am I helping him now? Shouldn't I be not caring like Kuno?_ Ryoga thought to himself, shaking his head in confusion. He'd plea temporary insanity later. Or possibly chivalry. Yeah, maybe he was just being chivalrous. Or perhaps it was because Akane had been so upset, she really did care about Ranma, and truth be told, Ryoga sometimes thought she really did love him. _Or maybe she's just as confused about her feelings as Ranma is?_ He thought, then silently reprimanded himself, _Why am I thinking about this now? This is hardly the time what with Ranma lying there unconscious and none of us know what's wrong except that Dr. Tofu is freaked…AUGH! There I go again! Worrying about that jerk! What's wrong with me?_

"Everyone here?" Dr. Tofu asked, "Is this everyone who was involved?"

The group looked nervously around the room, then nodded. They were all fairly freaked out, except for Kuno. Even Nabiki looked a tad shaken. Dr. Tofu sighed and put his head in his hands. He seemed to be catching his breath, and then stood up and slowly made his way over to the kitchen.

"Would anyone like some tea?" he asked.

"Dr. Tofu!" Akane practically screamed, "What are you doing? Ranma is HURT! Or ill! He could be dying we don't have time for tea! Fix him! Please!"

"Calm down, Akane," Dr. Tofu said kindly, "Don't you trust your old doctor at all? I know what's wrong with him, and he's going to be like that for a while, until we can find a cure,"

"What's wrong with him?" Akane urged helplessly.

"I need to figure out first just how bad the damage is," Dr. Tofu said as he put the kettle on the stove, "I don't quite have a big enough kettle, so some of you will have to wait for your tea," Everyone stared at him blankly, wondering why he was being so calm.

_Maybe it's nothing…_ Ukyo thought hopefully, _Maybe it's just some stupid little knockout and he's torturing us like this to teach us a lesson! Or maybe it is really bad and he is trying to cushion the blow by getting us to calm down before he tells us! Oh Gods!_

Dr. Tofu went into a drawer and searched for a pen and paper, then went calmly to his book shelf to find a book to lean on. He then came and pulled his chair into the middle of the group, right in front of Ranma's body. He stared out at them, and every heart in the room was stopped as they waited for him to drop the news: What was wrong with Ranma…

"Okay now, Ranma has been effected seriously by a dangerous overdose of magic. Allow me to explain…in the early days, there were supernatural creatures on this Earth whose bodies were far less delicate than a humans. They used magic regularly, and had far less side effects or dangers involved with them. Humans have never had that resilience to magic. Too much power from magic at one time and they begin to suffer. Now, some magics are more potent than others. For example, love potions are more potent than sleep potions. Clarity potions are more potent than hair renewal potions. Spells involving blood are more potent than nearly any Earth based spell. You understand?

Think of a human bodies ability to withstand magic as a cup. You fill the cup with water, but there is only so much room. If the cup gets filled with too much water, it overflows, and everything becomes messy. When a spell is used, it fills the cup with a certain amount of water, so to speak. Long lasting spells don't usually fill the cup too much because they are spaced over many years. Short-term spells require more water, especially when dealing with the mind. Also, any spell has varying degrees of potency. There are some love spells that will fill nearly half a cup, while other barely give a few drops.

The spell Ranma was using was a Clarity Spell, or rather, THE clarity spell, the most powerful one available. It is a temporary spell, so the cup is emptied once it wears off, but it fills nearly an entire cup, so to speak, so the person under the influence of the clarity spell cannot have ANY other magic in them or around them without possibly dangerous side effects. Ranma used this, clearly without reading the directions fully, even though he has the magic from his Jusenkyo Curse. Among other things. He also has the Nekoken, as well as the lingering after effects of the many spells he has been under in the past."

"But all those spells worn off now, right?" Shampoo asked guiltily, thinking of the dozen or more love spells she had used on Ranma.

"Mostly, yes. Sticking with the cup analogy, when you dump out the water from a cup, almost all of it goes out, but a few droplets remain on the side, right? It's like that," Dr. Tofu explained, "But those few remains barely make up a portion of his magic quota, so to speak. However, the Jusenkyo Curse and the Nekoken make up quite a decent amount, and Ranma would have had some dangerous side effects even without all that extra magic he was hit with. Dangerous, but easily fixable,"

"So…he's going to be okay? Is that what you're saying?" Nabiki asked skeptically, knowing deep down that Dr. Tofu was just preparing them for the final blow.

"I don't know. What I need to do is assess how bad the damage was," Dr. Tofu said, "I need every single one of you to tell me what magic you used on him,"

Everyone sighed, and slumped in their chairs guiltily. Everyone in that room was guilty of using magic on Ranma at one time or another. And just because some of them had been innocent on this occasion doesn't mean they hadn't contributed to this, even if just a little. Nabiki thought of a spell she had bought at a fair once to get photos of Ranma in the shower, a spell to make Ranma oblivious to her presence. Akane thought of the wretched rice cakes of love she had underhandedly forced Ranma to eat. Ryoga thought of the many magic based attacks he used on Ranma on a regular basis, like the Shi Shi Hokudan. Mousse guiltily stuffed the small vials of magical powders and potions back into his sleeves as he, too, thought of nearly every fight he had been in with Ranma. Shampoo felt most guilty of all since she regularly pumped Ranma full of the latest love spell or obedience spell in an attempt to make him her willing husband. Even Ukyo knew she was guilty of the occasional attempt at winning Ranma through magic. After all, Shampoo did, so it was only fair that she tried too. Kuno was far too occupied with sneering in the wretched Saotome's direction to realize that he too had subjected his pigtailed Goddess (who he of course, didn't realize was the same as his mortal enemy) to quite a few magical encounters.

"So, I've got Essence of Clarity, a Crystal Clear clarity potion from Shampoo and Ukyo, Aphrodite's love potion from Shampoo, and a weak paralysis potion from Kodachi? Is that all? Plus the Jusenkyo curse and Nekoken, and probably a few residual after effects from Ranma's fights with Mousse and Ryoga in the past two weeks," Dr. Tofu said as he jotted down notes on his pad. Everyone nodded and he set to work looking up each of the potions and spells in a set of ancient books. He jotted down numbers and made calculations, looking more and more Grim with each passing minute. Finally he set down the books and the papers and looked up. And everyone's hopes went downhill as well.

"It's not good," Dr. Tofu said, and a small sob escaped from Akane, so he continued, "But that doesn't mean I can't help him. It'll be hard, and I'll need every single one of your cooperation in this, whether that means you need to help or need to get out of the way, understood?"

There was a general murmur because who was really going to say no at a time like this? Dr. Tofu continued to search through books for several minutes, book marking some and tossing others hopelessly onto a nearby desk. Akane watched Ranma on the bed, her fiancé, her friend. He looked so pale and helpless. While Dr. Tofu continued to look through the books, the rest of the Tendo's and Mr. Saotome arrived and were briefed by Nabiki on the events.

"He's still looking for a way to cure him…" Nabiki said to Kasumi quietly. Dr. Tofu still hadn't realized she was there, and she'd like to keep it that way.

"Oh! This is just terrible!" Kasumi whispered back, unsure why she was whispering, "Poor Ranma! I do hope he's going to be…"

"Ah ha!" Dr. Tofu exclaimed.

"What? What is it? Have you found a cure?" Ryoga asked anxiously.

Dr. Tofu ran his finger down the list, mumbling to himself then said in excitement, "This should work! As long as it is done right, it should work! Bu Fa Ping! It's a complicated potion that uses the powers of Yin and Yang to restore balance to a person's life. It uses physical and magical elements to clear the body and mind of external forces and unwanted magics. It is used to help patients suffering from possession, magical confusion, magical overdose, and magical contradiction! Perfect!"

"That sounds perfect!" Ukyo shouted.

"Yeah! Let's do it!" Akane said eagerly.

"Haha! You should have used this on him ages ago!" Nabiki said, then everyone went silent when they realized she was right.

"Say, why haven't you told anyone about this before?" Mousse wondered.

"It's not an easy spell. It is also dangerous. And it isn't discriminating. It removes all external forces and restores a body to a pure, un-magical state. Anyone with magic holding them together would fear this spell. I bet that's why your great grandmother never mentioned it, Shampoo. Anyway, the ingredients are not easy to find and there are tons of them. Anyone feel like going on the most difficult scavenger hunt ever?"

"I ready!" Shampoo said, standing up and getting into a stance to show just how ready she was.

"Bring it on!" Ukyo said with a determined expression.

"Ha! See if you can stop me!" Ryoga challenged.

"Anything to help Ranma!" Kasumi piped eagerly.

"Alright, there are roughly one hundred ingredients…" Dr. Tofu began.

"ONE HUNDRED!" Everyone shouted, and then sat down dejectedly.

"How do we even know we'll be able to find them all?" Akane wondered.

"We don't, but we have to try," Dr. Tofu said, "Many of them are very basic. Jasmine leaves, Enchanted Green Tea, Hallucinogenic Mushrooms, Gorgonzola cheese…"

"Gorgonzola cheese?" Kuno shouted, "You mock us, surely!"

"No, it is part of the pattern. Every ingredient is coupled with an ingredient that acts as an opposite. To represent the Yin and Yang. Except for ten, which must act as the Yin and Yang at the same time. I will split this list up as evenly as possible, and hand it out to you all, okay?"

Everyone agreed, and Dr. Tofu set to work in separating the items. The lists turned out not to be even at all. The range of ingredients was so vast that some ingredients would be easily obtained by one of them while another would search for days for it. Also, some of the items on the list were not cheap, even if they were easy to find. He gave most of these to Kuno and Kodachi, sighing as he swore to Kuno that this spell would bring him his lovely pig tailed Goddess, freeing her from Saotome's magical hold. Kuno seemed quite eager to help then, and set off immediately for "Ye magic shop". Some of the items needed weren't exactly…wholesome, and one would need very strange connections indeed to obtain them. He gave this list to Nabiki. He nervously handed a list to Kasumi, but when she came back almost an hour later having completed it, everyone was very suspicious that Dr. Tofu had accidentally handed her his shopping list. Poor sap.

"Here, Akane!" Dr. Tofu said, handing her a list as he made a check on the sheet of paper he was keeping track of things on, "And Ukyo and Mr. Saotome. And here's for Soun and Shampoo! Go on, and hurry back!"

Once everyone had taken their lists and left, Ryoga said cautiously, not wanting to disturb Dr. Tofu's work, "Ummm…Dr. Tofu…you didn't give me a list…"

"I know," Dr. Tofu said, not looking up from his paper, "There is only one thing left on the list. It is the most important part of the spell, and the most difficult to come across. I am certain you are the only person I can trust with this one, you are the only one who will be able to get this ingredient," _And if I give you any other ingredients we won't see you again for a month…_He thought silently.

Ryoga swelled, proud that Dr. Tofu thought so highly of him, "What is it?"

Dr. Tofu handed him a piece of paper and said, "It must be mutual, willing, and taken from only one source. And the giver must understand that even though this sacrifice will cause them a great amount of happiness, it will also cause a great amount of pain. And, what's more, once it is given, it can never be taken back. The sacrifice will remain with Ranma for the rest of his life, being a part of him, and a part of them as well…they will be bound to each other,"

Ryoga nodded, feeling strange and goose bumpy. Whatever this was, it was not going to be easy to find. He unfolded the paper and looked down at it. It had only a single phrase, "The Blood of an enemy, and the blood of a friend,"

"Thanks…I-I'll get working on this…" Ryoga said, and turned to leave the hospital.

"Wait!" Dr. Tofu called to him.

"Yeah?"

"Take this," he said, and handed Ryoga a small some money and another slip of paper, "Guard that with your life. It is money and the address of the clinic. When you get the item, get a taxi to bring you here. I don't want you wandering around for three weeks, okay? We need to get this thing done with...the sooner we have Ranma back with us, the better, don't you agree?"

Ryoga snorted, his usual bitterness coming back now that the shock of the situation had receded. No one was in any immediate danger, and Akane was nowhere near and needing to be helped or protected or comforted, so he was now thinking quite clearly once more. "Yeah, speak for yourself," Ryoga said, "I, for one, don't care if he ever wakes up…"

Dr. Tofu shook his head with a smile as Ryoga stormed out of the building.


	4. Ryoga's World

_Author's Note: For those of you who started here, let me explain what I did. I realized that this whole "posting 1,500 word chapters" thing was NOT going to work because everything was taking WAY too long. So, I reorganized the past chapters so that each "section" will be a chapter (or two if it is ridiculous)._

_So, apologies for the randomness of that decision, but it needed to be done! That being said…enjoy:-D_

**Worlds Fall Apart**

**Ryoga's World**

"The blood of an enemy, and the blood of a friend…" Ryoga said out loud as he sat on a swing set. He had been TRYING to get to the school where he could sit on the roof and think this one over without anyone to disturb him, but he had ended up in the park, and, well, beggars can't be choosers. At least he was still in Nerima. "The feeling must be mutual…and the giver must be willing…and it must come from one person. Well…geez! Ranma has plenty of enemies. And he has some friends too…but both in one package?"

Ryoga kicked at the sand. "And what's with those consequences? Causes great pain? Well, if this person is really his enemy, why would he go through trouble and pain to help a jerk like Ranma?"

Ryoga sighed and thought some more, "It has to be someone Ranma knows, and I know pretty much everyone Ranma knows, so…lessie…Kuno! Kuno hates Ranma, but loves the pig tailed girl!" Ryoga jumped up and slammed his fist in his hand. "That was easy!" he said, and then sat back down, "Crap, the feelings gotta be mutual. Ranma hates Kuno all the way through…His Dad! He does care about his Dad, but they fight all the time! That's it!"

Ryoga jumped off the swing set again and got ready to run off in search of Ranma's Dad, but then stopped short, "Damnit! That can't be it! He and his Dad don't hate each other, not by a long shot, they just bicker a lot…"

Ryoga tried to sit back down on the swing set, but missed entirely, and landed flat on his ass in the sand. He scrambled up, face slightly red, and extremely glad that no one was around at this time of day to have seen that…

"Ryoga?" said a sweet, gentle, but tear choked voice, "Is that you?"

Ryoga froze. He knew that voice. It was Akane. _Damnit! Why does she always have to be around when I make an idiot of myself?_ He cursed silently, and then squeaked out, "Yeah. Akane?" He looked around and saw her peeking at him from inside a plastic tunnel on the nearby playground. He walked over slowly, and stopped a little when he got closer and saw that her face was red and tear stained. _Even when she's crying she's beautiful…_he thought.

"A-are you okay? What's wrong?" He asked anxiously.

"I…oh, Ryoga! I'm just…I'm just…I-I'm so worried about Ranma!" Akane wailed, and put her face into her hands as her small shoulders shook from her sobs.

Ryoga looked around nervously, horribly unsure of what to do. He, like most males, was terribly useless with a crying girl. He sat down next to her, though several inches apart, and patted her nervously on the back and said, "There, there! It will all be okay!" in the most comforting voice he could manage. Unfortunately it still came out sounding nervous. Luckily for him, Akane was far too upset to notice, and instead she flung her arms around his neck and sobbed into his shoulder.

Poor Ryoga, his heart just stopped. He froze, and for a moment he forgot that Akane was terribly upset and all he could think was, "Akane…Akane has her arms around ME! I'm the happiest man alive!" When Ryoga's heart finally did star beating, it was beating a mile a minute. His skin was tingling and he was certain his face was as red as the setting sun. _Here I am…in a park…at sunset…with Akane…and she's holding me…_He thought breathlessly.

"Oh Ryoga! What if we can't find all the ingredients and he dies? I don't know what I would do if he died!" Akane sobbed, and Ryoga felt his poor heart shatter in his chest. Here he was, sitting in a park at sunset with Akane who had her arms around him, and STILL all she could do was think about Ranma! _Ranma Saotome! Augh! Even when he's unconscious and dying he manages to ruin my life! I HATE YOU RANMA!_ Ryoga thought furiously.

But his fury was hidden so expertly in his words, "Don't worry, Akane. I'm sure he'll be fine!"

"I-I-I know we…we fight all the time…hic," Akane sobbed, wiping at her wet eyes, and Ryoga nervously prayed that her tears weren't enough to turn him into P-Chan, "But I really do…hic care about him!"

Ryoga felt his already broken heart sink even more, and possibly break in a few more places. "So you…you really do love him?" Ryoga said.

Akane stopped crying and looked up into his face with her big, beautiful, moist eyes…so innocent, so lovely and sweet…

"I…I don't know…" Akane said, and while this wasn't a clear no, Ryoga couldn't help but feel himself jump for joy that it wasn't a clear yes, "We're friends…I've gotten used to that by now…but I don't know if we are something more or…just friends. I'm not sure how I feel…"

The words echoed in Ryoga's mind, and all the repetitive babblings and denials were deaf to him as he pieced together what he had just heard. They were friends…they fight all the time…she didn't know what she would do if he died. He was sure Akane, brilliant, strong Akane, would do anything to save him too…_The blood of an enemy and the blood of a friend…_Ryoga thought, _That's it. It's Akane. And she certainly wouldn't mind being connected forever to her precious Ranma through blood. It would probably just clarify for her that she really does love him and I am nothing to her, just dirt, just her secret pet P-Chan. But I suppose I won't even be that anymore soon. She'll realize she loves him after all and they'll get married and he'll be…in her bed…God, I don't even want to think about it! Anyway, Ranma definitely won't welcome me into his bed, so I guess that's it. I am just stupid, angry, depressed, constantly lost, Ryoga, the clueless pig boy who no one loves…Great. Just great…_

"Akane…" Ryoga said, taking a deep breath, "I really, _really_ don't want to have to ask you this…" _But will you please hurt yourself and mix your blood with Ranma's so that you two can live happily ever after being a part of one another and all and I can be thrown out into the dirt and forgotten…_

"Oh, Ryoga! I'll do anything to save him! Anything!" Akane rambled on, unaware that Ryoga had spoken at all.

"Yeah, I know you will, so will I, but listen…" he tried again.

"Oh Ryoga," Akane said, eyes all wide and glowing in that amazing way she had that could make Ryoga's mind clear and his heart stop (when it was not busy being in his stomach because she had just broken it by talking about Ranma), "I know you would! Ranma is so lucky to have a friend like you!"

"…a…friend…like me?" Ryoga said, blinking in surprise.

"Of course! You are always there for him when he needs you the most, and I know he really does like you after all, he's just too hard headed to let you know he appreciates you! And even though you two fight all the time and say you hate each other when things get really rough you are always there, helping out as much as you can, like you are now. And I know he would do the same for you…"

And Ryoga went blank again. _Of course! It can't be Akane! Ranma told me the other day that he doesn't hate her, they just bicker out of habit…but then that means…can it really be…me? Is it my blood he needs? Am I his enemy AND his…friend?_

"Akane…" Ryoga said, doing something he never thought he'd do in his life, taking her arms off of him and standing up to leave, "I have to go. I need to think about some stuff…"

"Ryoga!" she said in confusion.

"Please…don't worry about Ranma," he said. He wanted to say things would be fine, but it sounded too much like a promise, and he wasn't sure yet what he would do, so he had no right to make that promise to this beautiful young woman.

He walked off, leaving a startled Akane to stare after him as he walked off into the sunset towards the market (we was aiming for the school). She shook her head and wiped her eyes, then sighed. She jumped off the playground and walked off. Having had a good cry, she was now ready to search for the ingredients and to bring Ranma back to her. And nothing, NOTHING would stop her now!

But Ryoga was a different story. He had silently sworn that he would not let Dr. Tofu down, that he would find his ingredient and get it to him as fast as possible, but now…now that he knew what he needed, it wasn't so easy. Ranma was his enemy, that was pretty clear to him, pretty easy to see. Ranma was a selfish, stubborn, petty, perverted jerk and Ryoga hated him and he infuriated him so much and what right did he have to tell him he couldn't share a bed with Akane to protect her from a jerk like him anyway, it's probably just because he wants her alone and unprotected so he can…AUGH!

"How can I help a jerk like him?" Ryoga wondered out loud as he walked along. _Besides…_He thought, _I've been trying to kill him for everything he's put me through all this time, I can't just give that up now and _help_ him!_

Ryoga shook his head and banged it up against a nearby pole, "But I can't just leave him to die! I'm not that cowardly! Besides, Akane would hate me! And as much as I hate to admit it, Ranma wouldn't do that to me…"

Some people walked by and looked strangely at Ryoga as he stood there banging his head lightly against a pole, or maybe not so lightly since the pole was beginning to crack. He gave them a look and they scampered off.

"But that's just it, isn't it…Ranma _wouldn't_ do that to me, as much as I'd like to think he would…is Akane right? Are we…friends?" Ryoga wondered, then pounded the pole, "No! IMPOSSIBLE! Never! I could never be friends with a jerk like that!"

Ryoga slumped down to the ground with his back against the slightly cracked pole he had been abusing and thought about things. He could recall several times when Ranma had stuck up for him. _I could also think of several times Ranma has made my life a living hell _he thought bitterly, _But back to the point…_He could, admittedly, remember many occasions where he and Ranma had gotten along…well, fought for the same cause at least. He also had to admit that he had really stuck his neck out there for Ranma a few times…always under the excuse that he was trying to impress Akane or that it's what any non-cowardly martial artist would do. But could it be there was more to it than that? Maybe, deep down, past all his consuming hatred he really did care about Ranma, at least a little bit, as a friend. Maybe he had really come to consider Ranma a friend…

"No…" Ryoga said quietly, shaking his head, then silently made a compromise to himself. A rather lame compromise that had several obvious loopholes and plot holes, but that he decided would have to do until he could fathom the idea that he felt anything for Ranma but hatred, and right then was NOT the moment to try and fathom it because Ranma was in trouble and he needed his help. "Fine then, Ranma Saotome…we are rivals…"

Ryoga stood up suddenly, determined expression and fist in the air as he made his decision. He would help. He would help Ranma, and he would do it willingly, and he was doing it for Ranma, and to help Ranma. He wasn't doing it to impress Akane. He wasn't doing it to feel good about himself. He was helping Ranma simply because Ranma needed help and that's what fr…rivals were for. He would do it, despite the fact that it would cause him great pain, apparently. He would do it even if it meant he had some sort of weird connection with Ranma after that that made him sick to even think about. Despite all that, he would save Ranma.

"After all…" he said out loud, quoting something Ranma had once said to him. The two situations were nothing alike, not by a long shot, but the words seemed appropriate, "Just because we're enemies, doesn't mean we can't be friends, right?"

"Just about everyone's back," Dr. Tofu said as he looked around the room. Silently he noted a certain absence, and quietly prayed it would soon be filled, "Good. Let's see what you've got…"

Shampoo stepped forward and counted out her ingredients, many of which were rare, expensive, valuable Chinese herbs. "Great Grandmother give me these," Shampoo said, "But when she hear what we doing to Ranma, she say she don't want to be anywhere near here,"

"That's 'cause the old ghoul is only being held together by very powerful magic, most likely," Genma said, laughing, then quieting awkwardly at Shampoo's resentful glance.

"And here last ingredient," Shampoo said, handing a small bag with a tiny bit of purple fur in it to Dr. Tofu, "Bring great cowardice and great bravery…fur from Shampoo cat form,"

"Very good," Dr. Tofu said, clearly impressed.

"Here's the mixture's" Ukyo said, handing several containers of either boiling or frozen liquids to Dr. Tofu, "It took me all afternoon, but I managed to combine all the ingredients without any problem whatsoever. And here is the item that brings Ranma memories both good and bad,"

Dr. Tofu took the tiny vial of red liquid, speckled with bits of green and black that looked suspiciously like herbs, and said curiously, "What is it?"

"It's…my secret sauce," Ukyo said. Reddening a little, "This sauce caused a lot of trauma and bad feeling, and I am sure Ranma still feels guilty over what happened…but it would also remind him of when we were kids together…those were simpler times, nothing bad ever happened then. I didn't try to poison him or trick him like I…like I do now,"

Dr. Tofu nodded, and several more people stepped forward and gave their ingredients, many of them very personal and pertaining to a specific aspect of Ranma's character, most of which only made the provider feel intense feelings of guilt.

"And here," Akane said, handing a small package to Dr. Tofu after she had counted out her collection of ingredients, "Something that brings Ranma great pain and great pleasure…"

"What is it?" Dr. Tofu asked as he unwrapped the package.

"It's an octopus puff," Akane said, then, blushing, she added, "It's his favorite food,"

"I see…but how does this bring him pain?" Dr. Tofu asked, certain there was some sort of story or memory behind this one, what with him and Akane being so close and being engaged and all.

Akane turned even redder and lowered her voice as she said, "I cooked it…"

"Oh!" Dr. Tofu said, trying hard to sound nonchalant, but it was useless since everyone in he room took a step back from the potentially toxic octopus puff.

"Well," Dr. Tofu said, carefully placing the octopus puff on the counter as if it were an explosive, "That's just about everything we need…"

"So, we can do the spell now?" Akane asked anxiously.

"You do magic now and save Ranma?" Shampoo wondered.

"You will bring my Ranma darling back to me, won't you, sweet medicine man!" Kodachi cooed manically.

"No," Dr. Tofu admitted, looking at his watch, "We are still missing an ingredient…"

"What? But we got EVERYTHING you asked for!" Mousse said in aggravation.

"Ryoga…where _are_ you?" Dr. Tofu wondered, shaking his head, and silently praying that the foolish boy hadn't been too proud to help. Or too stupid to figure it out, maybe he shouldn't have hinted and should have just given him the answer…Or maybe he was just lost and couldn't find a pay phone…

"Ryoga?" Akane said, "Ryoga has the last ingredient?"

"Yes…I hope…" Dr. Tofu said, still praying silently.

"I saw him…at the park," Akane said, "But that was HOURS ago, just at sunset…"

"Did he say anything? About where he'd be…or his ingredient?" Dr. Tofu asked.

"He seemed strange…then he suddenly stood up and said he had to go think about something, then he disappeared…I haven't seen him since," Akane said, wondering what Ryoga had to think about, how it related to Ranma's cure, and more importantly, where on Earth was he?

"Well, what was Ryoga's ingredient?" Ukyo wondered, "The idiot probably got himself lost, we won't see him again for weeks. Why don't one of us go get it?"

"You…can't…" Dr. Tofu said sadly, thinking more and more that Ukyo was right, "Ryoga is the only person who can get this…"

"What if he can't get it?" Akane had to ask, though she wasn't sure she wanted the answer.

"Then the potion is useless…and in time…Ranma will fade…and…"

"Die? Ha! Not on my watch!" Ryoga said from the doorway, "We still have a fight to finish. If Ranma is going to die, it is going to be in battle, like a man, and not lying in a bed like a coward or an infidel…"

"Ryoga!" Akane said, and she restrained from jumping up and throwing her arms around his neck she was so happy to see him.

"Ryoga! Do you have it? The final ingredient…" Dr. Tofu asked anxiously, his final hope now being that Ryoga had enough sense to help and wasn't being stubborn and pig headed, no pun intended, as he was known to be.

Ryoga handed Dr. Tofu a small bottle and said quietly, "You know…I wasn't sure if I could do it…"

"I'm glad you did," Dr. Tofu said, "And Ranma will be too,"

The rest of the group looked on in confusion, clearly something had happened that they had missed entirely. Only Akane noticed a long, thin, bright red gash on Ryoga's hand as he handed the vial over to Dr. Tofu. _What? His…blood? Why would Ranma need Ryoga's blood? This doesn't make any sense!_ Akane wondered, then decided to drop it and find out from Dr. Tofu later.

"Is everyone ready?" Dr. Tofu said, standing up, suddenly stern, "Let's get this thing going,"

Everyone worked feverishly, reading off the ingredients, checking, double checking, and going over every possible alternative and examining the potion from every single angle. It had to be done right the first time or it would not work. Some of the ingredients were irreplaceable, and it was only luck alone that they were found so easily. Luck, or fate. Ironically, the very chaos that haunted Ranma's life had brought in the things that would cure him now.

"I'm ready for the dragon's whisker…" Dr. Tofu said, "And now the baby's hair,"

He stirred in the two ingredients, and everyone gasped as the potion became a brilliant shade of purple.

"The magic mirror!" Dr. Tofu said, stirring vigorously as Shampoo dropped in the pieces of the magical mirror that had whisked the group off to ancient China, "The dirt!"

The potion bubbled up and turned sky blue, then it simmered down once more. Several hours later, morning's first light was beginning to show, and they were still mixing the ingredients, and poor Dr. Tofu was beginning to show the strain. He was pouring with sweat and leaning against the large cauldron in exhaustion.

"We're almost done…" he said, "I need…everyone leave the room. It is important that everyone stay as far out of this room as possible, do not come back in until I come for you, no matter what happens…GO!"

Everyone obeyed, and scurried towards the door, piling out obediently to go into the waiting room. Ryoga was at the back of the group and turned around giving one last glance to the potion. It was now sizzling madly and changing colors faster than his eyes could follow. Dr. Tofu threw in several wads of leaves and flowers, and the potion seemed to be calling in the power of a storm from nowhere, lightening was striking it from the ceiling. Dr. Tofu then grabbed the vial of Ryoga's blood and threw it forcefully into the potion, and Ryoga knew, from the look on Dr. Tofu's face, that this was the last ingredient. Ryoga had been almost out of the room when he turned to watch this last few seconds worth of events, but when his blood hit the potion, he fell violently to the floor and into the hall, the door slamming shut behind him. He felt his heart speed up, and his whole body seemed to shoot with a sharp, terrible pain. He couldn't stop himself from crying out, and after several seconds, the pain became so unbearable he was throwing himself convulsively into the walls.

And so it was that not a soul, save Dr. Tofu witnessed what happened next. Dr. Tofu was the sole witness of the falling apart of Ranma Saotome's life as he knew it. He knew instantly that the potion had worked. He knew by the young Hibiki boy's screams of pain in the hallway that the potion was working because that could only be the great pain of which it had spoken. The boy had sacrificed himself for his friend, and for that, Dr. Tofu had elevated him greatly in his mind. To be honest, he had always thought of Ryoga as overdramatic and petty. But no, the boy had really come through.

Soon after Ryoga's cries and banging around ceased as he had fallen unconscious, Dr. Tofu saw a sight that very few in this world have ever seen. He saw the cleansing of a humans soul and body. Sure, people are always aiming for this effect, but it is a rather invisible process usually, and you only know it has been done by how you feel. This, on the other hand, was nowhere near invisible.

Brightly colored lights lifted Saotome's unconscious form off the bed, the blankets which had been covering him sliding off and to the ground. The boys entire body was illuminated with a pale blue light, and he seemed to simply be containing it until it suddenly burst from him with amazing force. The force was so strong that it sent Dr. Tofu flying clear across the room and right through a desk on the opposite wall. He gathered his glasses and sat up anxiously.

Light. Nothing but light. Bright blue light was encompassing Ranma's body, and an angelic humming sound rung through the air. The whole room seemed dull in comparison, and it was only then that Dr. Tofu realized the electricity had gone out. Strange shadows danced across the walls and evil laughter was heard. Soon the laughter turned into wails and cries, and eventually subsided into pathetic shrieks of defeat. _Was that…the magic? Leaving his body?_ Slowly, the light began to fade, and Ranma's figure began to sink back to the bed. The lights began to flicker, and the humming died down. Soon, everything was still. Everything was quiet.

Dr. Tofu picked himself up shakily from the ground. _Had it worked?_ He seriously hoped it had. He felt the air with his senses. There wasn't a trace of magic in the room. He closed his eyes, unable to bring himself over to Ranma just yet. He knew, as a martial artist, that feeling your environment first was more important than seeing it. A smile crept on to his face. It had worked! He had checked and double-checked and the room was completely free of magic. He walked over to Ranma's bedside where he expected to find the young boy lying down, unconscious, but no longer in imminent danger. He would likely wake up soon.

But that is not what he found there at all. Dr. Tofu gasped. Then he swallowed. Then he shook his head, rubbed his eyes, and silently fell apart inside. _Had it not worked? Had something gone wrong?_ He came closer, and touched the form in front of him. It was real. He poked and prodded very carefully and thoroughly at both Ranma's body and aura. It had worked. The spell had worked, there was not a doubt in his mind about that. But why, then, was he looking down at the body of a beautiful young red haired girl?

"Oh, I hope everything is alright!" Ryoga heard Kasumi say as his eyes flickered open. He was lying on the floor, flat on his stomach, his right side pressed up against the wall. His head ached slightly, but it faded as he shifted back into consciousness. _What on Earth was that?_ He wondered, and then sat up. The movement was too quick, and he got a massive head rush.

"I can't stand this! I'm going in there!" Akane said from the other room.

"Akane! You mustn't!" Kasumi begged.

"Yeah, you heard what Dr. Tofu said! Don't come in under any circumstances!" Ukyo reminded her.

"But what if something's gone wrong?" Akane said nervously.

"We just wait. Tofu is strong doctor and good magician, I can tell. He no let Ranma die," Shampoo said, as if to Akane, but almost as if she were reassuring herself.

"But I wish we knew what was taking so long," Nabiki said, and Ryoga was sure she was checking her watch during the pause, "He's been in there a while…and why's the power out?"

Suddenly, the door to Dr. Tofu's examination room, where the magic had been taking place, opened, and a very somber looking Dr. Tofu came out. His face was not the smiles everyone was hoping for, and Ryoga felt his heart stop. _Oh Gods…is he…did he…fail? Is Ranma…dead?_ He thought, unsure what to say or do or think. He had always imagined this day, when Ranma was gone forever (though he had rarely gone as far as death), and he had always imagined it with himself being complacent, almost happy in secret while he outwardly comforted poor Akane and took Ranma's place as her fiancé and got a share of all of Ranma's amazing luck. But now…he felt none of those things at all. He only felt as if his heart hadn't beaten for a very long time and he thought that he must be dying too. _Ranma…just when I start to like you, you go and die on me?_ He thought.

"Ryoga, are you okay?" Dr. Tofu asked when he saw Ryoga leaning against the wall. Ryoga realized that his face had gone pale, and he looked as though he had seen a ghost. He tried to answer and failed, and instead just nodded dumbly.

"Good…" Dr. Tofu said, and then hovered in the hallway, as if he were unprepared to go into the sitting room. And for Ryoga, that confirmed things…Ranma had died…he was sure of it…

"Is he…" Ryoga began, still feeling oddly numb, but was unable to bring himself to finish the thought; it was just too much to hear out loud.

"There is no more magic left in Ranma," Dr. Tofu said, clearly choosing his words very carefully, then when he realized how panicked Ryoga was, he added hastily, "Ranma is alive, and will probably wake up soon. Don't worry…but there is a slight problem…"

_He's alive…_Ryoga thought, feeling his heart begin to beat again, so quickly he was sure it was making up for lost time. _It's okay, he's alive. Don't know why I cared anyway...oh, come off it! It would have been the loss of a great…rival. _

"Problem?" Ryoga heard himself say. His mind was still processing the fact that Ranma was still alive, that it had worked, and his mouth seemed to be working of it's own accord.

"Yes…for some reason…Ranma is…" Dr. Tofu shook his head, "I need to speak with Genma first…"

And he left the hallway and entered the sitting room where everyone immediately leapt to their feet. Ryoga was following close behind him, rubbing the back of his head where he had slammed rather hard against the wall.

"Dr. Tofu! Did it work! Is he okay? Oh, please tell me he's okay!" Akane said instantly when he walked in.

Dr. Tofu nodded, and then said carefully, "Ranma is alive. There is no more magic left in…Ranma's body…but I need to speak with Genma…alone,"

Genma had been so busy embracing his friend Tendo in joy at his son's recovery, that he could do nothing but stare blankly at the Doctor. Dr. Tofu turned and walked out of the room, and Genma shrugged at the others and followed him, leaving a rather bewildered group behind.

"But…he's okay…At least he's okay, right?" Mousse said cautiously, hoping to break the silence in the now palpably tense room.

Ryoga sat down on the couch, too distracted to realize he was sitting next to Akane, and it was a rather small couch. At any other time he would have been busy panicking, but his mind was so jumbled and confused and worried at the moment, that, he grudgingly admitted to himself, Akane was the last thing on his mind. But that didn't last long…

"Oh Ryoga…I was so worried…" Akane said, looking down at the floor. He looked over at her. Her eyes were moist and she was clearly shaking. Ryoga couldn't help but think bitterly that she would never be this worried for his sake.

"Well…you heard Dr. Tofu…he's okay…" he said, not mentioning the rather strange bit about there being a slight problem.

"Ryoga," Akane said intensely, looking nervously up at Ryoga and into his eyes. Her bottom lip was quivering slightly, and her eyes were sparkling with tears. Ryoga thought to himself that he had never seen her look more beautiful. The morning sunlight light was hitting her just right and she had such a serious expression on her face, she looked more intense than he could ever remember her looking, and it sent his heart fluttering more than any look she had ever given him.

"I was thinking about what you said, Ryoga," Akane said, and he swallowed and looked at her in confusion.

"What…I said?" Ryoga said nervously.

"Earlier…in the park…" She clarified, taking a deep breath as if preparing to say something really important and…_Oh God, what is she going to say? Why is she looking at me like that…why is she telling _me_ this…is she…is it possible that she…could she be trying to tell me that…that she…loves…_

"And…I think…I love Ranma," Akane said, breathing out, and looking back down at the floor, shaking considerably, "There. I said it. I've never said it before, never to anyone…but there it is. I love Ranma…"

Ryoga took a sharp breath inwards as he felt her words jab into him like a steel sword. He felt his foundation collapse beneath him. He felt his whole world fall apart. Akane was the one good thing he had…just the idea, the thought, the slimmest possibility that Akane could love him, that he even had a chance with her, was the only thing in this cruel, unfair world that kept him going. And now that was gone. It was finally gone. He had been clinging to the tiny fact that she had never clearly said she loved Ranma, even if she did go on about him constantly and try constantly to please him and, but Oh! It didn't matter anymore because now she had said it, and now she knew it, and know Ryoga knew it, and soon Ranma would know it, and everything would work out grand for everyone except for Ryoga!

"…and I guess I've always known it, but I could never bring myself to tell him," Akane was saying, and it was only then that Ryoga realized she had been talking all along, but the shattering of his heart was too loud for him to hear, "…and then I thought I would lose him and I guess it made me see how much I care about him and, Oh, Ryoga, thanks so much for listening to me and letting me get this off my chest. You are such a great friend!"

"I…have to go…" Ryoga said quietly. He was looking at the ground and could feel his hands shaking and his lip quivering, and damnit! He was NOT about to let Akane see him cry! He leapt off the chair and broke for the door, flinging it open and running as fast as he could away from that place. He ran for a good three blocks before he finally stopped.

Panting, he leaned against a pole, and gently let his head smack into the side, and then not so gently. He bit his lip, but it was no use, the tears came anyway. He knew it was weak and unmanly to cry, but he had never cared so much about that as Ranma had anyway, so he gave up trying and just let himself have a good cry. Damnit, he deserved it! The one thing he had…the only thing…_Akane…Why?_ He thought, but he could put no words to his pain…his tears said everything.


	5. The Truth Comes Out

_Author's Note: _

_STOP! HALT! CEASE! And loads of other negatories! Read this FIRST!_

_ I am sure you noticed that I reorganized the chapters because...well, the shortness was just madness. So, you may want to go back and make SURE that you have read all of the chapter Ryoga's World. See, I posted the first part of it, then I decided to fix the grouping, so if you read that FIRST, then you need to go back and make sure that the last words you read were something along the lines of, "his tears said everything". Comprende? Peachy:)_

_That being said...I have also been informed that if you have commented up to chapter 10 or something, you can't comment again until I get to that chapter...does anyone know what this is about? Does anyone know how I can fix this? _

_So...The title says it all…DUHN DUHN DUHN! Oh, and…sorry for taking so long to update…:-/ I've been OOBER busy…but expect another chapter soon cause this one is kinda short…;)_

**Worlds Fall Apart**

**Chapter 5-The Truth Comes Out**

"What is the meaning of this?" Dr. Tofu asked accusingly as Genma looked in shock at his son, who looked nothing like his son at all. It was a form he knew well, but not what he had been expecting.

"I…I don't…I mean, I thought you said it worked?" Genma stammered, feeling strange that for once, he was being accused for something he really had absolutely nothing to do with.

"It did work. There is not an ounce of magic left in Ranma's body," Dr. Tofu said.

"Then, why is he still in his cursed form?" Genma asked in confusion. He scratched his head, then went to the counter and grabbed the kettle of still warm water and dumped a good portion onto Ranma's body. He waited, but nothing happened. His eyes widened in shock and confusion, and also in fear.

Dr. Tofu stared hard at Genma for several seconds, then finally decided he really did have no idea. "I don't know," Dr. Tofu admitted, sinking into a chair, "I was hoping you could tell me…I reread the book, I double checked the ingredients. I did everything right, all the ingredients were correct. By all accounts, it should have worked. By all accounts it DID work…except for this one little problem…"

"Little problem?" Genma said, almost angrily, "My boy is a…a…GIRL! And it looks like he's stuck this way!"

"I know…" Dr. Tofu began, but was interrupted once more by Genma.

"Ranma is going to be furious! And who can blame him? We need to find a way to get him back into his guy form, and…"

"Saotome, it's not possible," Dr. Tofu said, "Ranma has undergone some serious stuff, and any more magic could send him over the edge. He needs to stay as far away from magic as possible for a while, maybe some time in the future I can find something, but right now what we need to worry about is why this happened,"

Genma sat down and looked sadly at his son, then nodded, "This didn't just happen. Someone has to have been involved. But I swear to you it wasn't me,"

"Then we should ask the others…" Dr. Tofu said solemnly, and went to the door to call everyone in. The room slowly filled with people, each of them gasping and gaping in turn as they saw girl Ranma, each more confused by the second. The chairs began to fill with Ranma's friends, family, and enemies. Kuno had to be contained by a swift smack to the face with Ukyo's spatula to keep him from lunging at his pig-tailed beauty.

"Wha-what's going on?" Akane asked nervously.

"Why Ranma not boy?" Shampoo added in confusion.

"Yeah, I thought you said all the magic was going to be removed from Ranma-honey's body…and you said it HAD been, but…he's a she…" Ukyo added.

"The spell worked. There is no magic left in Ranma's body. I am almost certain it worked. All I can think is that something was…" Dr. Tofu paused because he knew that almost everyone in that room was _not_ going to like this theory, "Now…this is just a theory until we figure out what else it could be, but this makes the most sense to me…either something went wrong in the spell, which as admittedly unlikely, or someone had been putting a spell on Ranma to make him…a boy…"

"Are you trying to say that Ranma is really a girl?" Nabiki wondered, raising an eyebrow, unsure of what to think of this theory.

"I have to be honest, it is a more likely possibility than the spell backfiring…I have gone over the ingredients, the procedure of it, everything, almost a hundred times both before and after…it was all perfect…" Dr. Tofu admitted, "And even if it HAD failed…the chances of it doing…this…it's nearly impossible…"

"No…" Akane whispered, shaking her head and almost laughing, "Dr. Tofu, that's ridiculous! Why would anyone…I mean…it's just ridiculous! Ranma is a boy! He has been ever since I met him!"

"And he was a boy when we were kids!" Ukyo added, "So unless this was done at his birth, and I can only think of one person here who was present for that, then it's just not possible,"

"It wasn't Genma," Dr. Tofu said, "I am sure of it,"

"Then it's not possible," Ukyo concluded, folding her arms over her chest.

"Who on Earth would want to make Ranma into a boy?" Mousse wondered.

"Well, there are many people," Dr. Tofu said, "And I can think of many reasons why…now I am just brainstorming here, but there is the possibility that Cologne…"

"Great Grandmother never do something like that…" Shampoo said firmly.

"Hear me out," Dr. Tofu said diplomatically holding up his hands, "Ranma beat you, as a girl, and you gave her the kiss of death, but you were unable to kill her. Maybe Cologne saw how strong Ranma was, and also wanted to protect your honor, so she turned her into a him, so you would instead have to marry him. She is very powerful and has proven time and again that she has many skills and resources in magic…"

"But…" Shampoo said, as she thought this over. She had to admit it was a possibility. And her Great Grandmother had been terribly averse to being around wile this was performed.

"It is also possible," Dr. Tofu said, "That Kuno did this, though much less likely as he isn't exactly…the brightest of people," Dr. Tofu glanced over at Kuno's unconscious form. "Perhaps he was so desperate to get his pig tailed Goddess, that he tried to win her through magic, something went amiss, and Ranma became cursed…"

"That makes even less sense than Cologne!" Ukyo said, "You are forgetting that Ranma was definitely a boy when we were five!"

"Memories…can be created…" Soun said suddenly, and everyone turned to look at him. His voice was quavering, and his form was shaking even more. He looked utterly miserable, and he was staring forlornly at the floor.

"Daddy?" Kasumi said with concern.

"I…I…this is my fault…" Soun said finally, and everyone in the room stared at him in shock, unsure of what to make of what he had just said. Sure, Soun was known to mess up and make dumb decisions just like Genma, but he had never done something _this_ terrible…

"How…Daddy…what do you mean?" Akane said in confusion, not wanting…no, not even being ABLE to believe what she was hearing.

Soun took a deep breath and spilled his story. He told them all everything, from the promise he had made with Saotome many years before, to the post card, to the girl and the man in a Panda suit, to his meeting with Kalla and how easily he fell under her trance. He told of how he was caught in a daze as the world rewrote itself. He told of how he had begged her to set it right, but she would have none of it. He told of how he thought engaging Ranma to Akane would be the best thing for everyone. And when he finished his story, everyone stared at him, eyes wide, mouths agape, and the room was in complete silence.

"I…I did everything I could do to set it right, but I couldn't! Kalla is practically a goddess, there was no way I could usurp her power, especially with my limited magical skills. I figured that housing the Saotomes and giving them a place in my family, to look after them and help them as much as possible in this…alternate world…was the best I could do…I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I am sorry every day, and I only prayed that Ranma would never find out, that this would never be revealed. That Ranma would live and die as happily as possible without ever discovering the truth…"

"Daddy…" Akane whispered, then simply began to shake with rage, "How COULD you? How…how selfish can you…how stupid…How…how! I cannot believe this!"

"Akane, please…" Sound begged, his heart sinking under his daughter's wrath.

"Don't you Akane please her!" Nabiki shouted, "Daddy, don't you realize you have made a mess of everything? You have destroyed Ranma's life, and you have even destroyed Akane's!"

"Even I have to say that this is the most disappointing thing I have ever seen anyone do," Kasumi said, not shouting, but speaking as if she were truly let down, and for Soun, hearing her gentle anger was the worst of all. Tears streamed down his face, tears of guilt, and he turned to Genma with the tiniest bit of hope that perhaps his friend would find it in his heart to forgive him, after all, he had made mistakes as well, even if never one this grand. But he found nothing in Genma Saotome's face but pure disgust, a look of disgust one reserves for a cockroach they find crawling on their éclair. Soun whimpered, and broke down, sobbing into his hands. But no one moved to comfort him. All he could feel was angry glares penetrating his back.

Finally, Dr. Tofu spoke, and his calm anger was almost as terrible as Kasumi's, "Soun Tendo, I'm afraid I have to ask you to get out. I cannot do my work with such a despicable creature in my office, and Ranma will be waking up soon. We will need to break it to her that a man whom she trusted has let her down beyond anyone's imagination. Leave. Now,"

Soun nodded and then stood up shakily and left the room. When he left, the group did not burst into angry sentiments and horrible accusations. They were all too appalled, too disgusted, and all far too worried about how exactly Ranma was going to take this. And they would soon find out because presently, Ranma began to groan and toss in her bed. Her eyes flickered open, and she sat up shakily.


	6. Ranma's World

**Worlds Fall Apart**

**Chapter 6-Ranma's World**

Looking around, confused and startled, at the room and everyone she knew, Ranma mumbled, "Wha's goin' on?"

"R-ranma…" Akane said, but she was unable to finish because her eyes were filling with tears. She wasn't going to be able to do this! Not now! Not now that she finally admitted her feelings only to have them stomped on by fate! She bit her lip, but it was no use, and tears began to pour down her face as she sobbed loudly into her hands.

"Akane? Don't cry! I'm okay, see? What's wrong?" Ranma asked, guessing she had been really worried about him. _Must have been a really close call…_Ranma figured, but when he saw that Ukyo's eyes were filling with tears, and Shampoo even looked a little teary, she became a bit skeptical. Akane could be a bit of a crybaby at times, but Ukyo and Shampoo could usually handle a little near death experience.

"What's going on?" Ranma asked, beginning to feel panicked now, and starting to feel his body, err, her body she realized as she felt around, to be sure everything was in tact. Four limbs, no bandages even. What was going _on_?

"Ranma…" Dr. Tofu said, trying hard to look confident as he knew he had to be the one to tell Ranma, "There's something we need to tell you…"

Soun took a deep breath. His vision was still blurred, but he was beginning to calm down. He knew that they would have to deal with him eventually, and he thought that whatever punishment they gave him would have to be better than waiting for his sentence. He would take it, he vowed, like a man. Even if he had taken nothing else in his life like a man, he would take _this_ like a man. He had done this, it was entirely his fault. He had not been INTENDING to ruin anyone's life, but the fact remained that it was him alone who had done it. And so, when they finally decided to deal with him, he would take whatever they threw at him as…

BANG!

What Soun had not been expecting to be thrown at him was a desk. He shook himself and looked up to see Ranma, shaking in fury, face bright red, eyes glowing with pure hatred.

"You…" Ranma said.

"Ranma…I'm…I'm sorry!" Soun said desperately, even though he knew that sorry wouldn't cut it. Now that he saw Ranma's rage in it's full, he was having second thoughts about that whole taking it like a man thing. But it was too late now. Ranma dove at him and proceeded to give him the beating of his life. Ranma threw Soun through the window, diving out after him and continuing to lay punches on him without reserve. Soun lay in a bleeding heap on the floor, not even bothering to fight back. He had not yet lost consciousness, but it was coming soon, and he was afraid that he might not wake up when this was over. He had lost track of time, and wasn't sure if Ranma had been beating on him for several minutes or several hours. Blood was filling his eyes and his mouth, and his hearing was even beginning to sound muffled when he heard Kasumi's voice faintly plead, "Ranma! Please! You'll kill him!"

"I don't care! He deserves to die! After what he's done to me!" Ranma shouted, voice shaking with rage.

"I'm sorry…" Sound heard himself whisper again, and he wondered why he was even bothering, but apologizing seemed to be the only thing he could do.

He felt himself lifted roughly off the ground, and through the blood and tears, Ranma's enraged face came into his view. "Well, that isn't good enough! Fix me! Put me back! Undo it! Go on!"

_Oh Ranma…_Soun thought as he slipped into unconsciousness, _I would love to fix this…believe me, I would do anything if only I could set things right again…_

And he heard, for the third and final time in his life a rather familiar, and not entirely unpleasant, voice say, "Anything?"

Ranma lifted his arm to punch Soun once more, but stopped when he heard Dr. Tofu shout desperately, "Wait!"

"Why should I?" Ranma asked, her voice shaking with rage.

"Can't you feel it?" Dr. Tofu said.

"What?"

"There is magic in the air, new, powerful magic…" Dr. Tofu explained, looking around the room and then looking down at Soun.

Everyone blinked at him, unsure what this meant, and Ranma opened her mouth to ask why this meant she couldn't beat the man into a bloody pulp.

"He is with Kalla," Dr. Tofu said, his glasses glinting and his mouth going grim.

"Does that mean…?" Akane said.

"He might be able to fix this!" Ukyo practically shouted.

"Or at least help us to understand it better…" Dr. Tofu added, "Let's not get our hopes up…Kalla isn't exactly accommodating…not to current customers anyway. Come, let's get him into a bed. As furious as we all are with him, we cannot just leave him for dead. He needs medical attention,"

They lifted Soun's limp, beaten body and brought him into a room, where Dr Tofu set to work cleaning his wounds and relocating his joints. They all anxiously sat around while they waited for him to finish, and not a soul knew what was going through Ranma's head at the moment. She hadn't cried. She hadn't seemed upset. She had blinked, then grown angry, then beaten on Soun, and now she was sitting there, shivering slightly, and speaking to no one.

What was going through the young girls mind was a series of denials. This couldn't be happening. It was just a bad dream. She was sleeping. It was a mistake. It wasn't real. It was a joke. Soun would wake up and have a cure and everything would be normal again. He'd be a man again. He was a man. He was just stuck in a girls body and everyone had gone mad and seemed to think he WAS a girl, but he wasn't, he was a man and he would find a cure and he'd be a man again and some day he'd never have to see is female form again…never, never, never…

Soun groaned form his place on the bed.

Ranma was suddenly filled with a feeling of panic. The Tendo father had just brought her out of her trance like state, and her rock solid denial began to waver slightly. It was a bit difficult to convince herself she was a man when her arms were pressed up against her rather large chest. She lowered them as soon as she noticed because that is just NOT what she needed right then. Soun's eyes flickered open, and everyone in the room rushed over to him, but Ranma found that she couldn't move. She began to shiver more violently, but was unable to get out of her chair. _What if…what if I'm stuck…_

"Tendo…what happened?" Dr. Tofu asked urgently as Soun blinked and rubbed his head. He looked around at the faces surrounding him, then over at Ranma, sitting in the chair, shaking and ghostlike. He dropped his gaze to his lap.

"I was…with Kalla," he said quietly.

"We know, but what happened?" Genma demanded of his friend.

Soun took a deep breath and began to speak, and even though what he said caused every ones hearts to sink further and further, no one stopped him until he had finished, "Kalla…would not help. She said that this chaos was far greater than any she had ever created herself. I offered her everything, my life, my home, my memories, but she refused. She said that even if she wanted to, she could no longer touch the boy. Apparently once her magic has been broken, her contract and hold on a life is gone, and she can never touch that life again. Some kind of cosmic order.

But, she told me that as her magic continues to crumble, Ranma will begin to remember his life as a girl, as will all of you. Anyone who knew or had encountered Ranma when he…she was…before all of this, your memories had been altered by Kalla, but they will slowly begin to return,"

"So," Dr. Tofu said, grimly composed, "Ranma is stuck with this now, but you are saying that in time he will begin to remember being a girl, and will forget about being a guy?"

"No…" Soun admitted, "Memories can be manipulated, but they can never be erased. Old and new alike. Ranma will always remember this, but in time will also remember what it was like before…in a way, Ranma, and everyone else, will have two sets of memories…"

"So we will begin to remember the past, when Ranma was a girl?" Mousse wondered.

"Only if you knew Ranma when…she was a girl," Soun explained, seemingly spouting off everything he had heard from Kalla, "Mousse, you probably won't remember the previous Ranma, and will only remember the Ranma you know now. But Genma…Ukyo…you will have two sets of memories of Ranma. The real ones, which will come back slowly, and the fake ones. But soon you will be able to sort out which are which…"

"What about Ranma?" Ukyo asked, looking in concern at the shaking form of her friend…her…fiancée.

"Ranma as well…" Soun said.

Ranma had silently been sitting there, taking in every word Soun had said, having ignored one point entirely, unable to deal with it. But it came back once Soun had stopped speaking. She was…a girl. She was stuck this way. There was no cure. Ranma stared at the floor so long, unblinking, trancelike, that her eyes began to water from staring at one place for too long. Only when she heard a stifled sob from Akane did she look up. Everyone was staring at her, Soun was crying, Akane was crying. Even Ukyo and Shampoo were crying. Pop looked like the world was ending. Well, it was! Ranma's whole world was falling apart, and there was nothing at all she could do to stop it and…and…

And then she lost it. She had quietly, calmly taken this news, unable to move, but now, all the emotions came out at once, and Ranma stood up slowly, her face screwed up as she managed to fight back the tears yet again. She couldn't cry, not now. Only girls cried. And if she cried, then that meant she was a girl, and she was not…she was not a girl! Except…somehow, she knew she was, and that was too much, and she had to get out of there, and so Ranma took off, running out the room as fast as she could, and she was way faster than any of them, so she easily shook them as she ran all throughout the town, not even stopping to realize that no one had followed her past the front door, she just kept running until she could no longer breathe.

Panting, she slowed to a stop near the bridge, and put her shaking hands on her shaking knees. She knew she had to stop and take a rest, so she wandered off towards the water and practically fell down at the edge under the bridge. She stared at the still water as a fish popped to the surface, disturbing it into a series of large ripples. She stared at it wordlessly, thoughtlessly. Because, as soon as she began thinking, she knew she would lose it because this was just too much to take, and she wished she could just never deal with it ever... She was a guy…a GUY…how could she be…a girl?

"Now what?" Ryoga wondered forlornly as he wandered through the streets of Nerima without aim. He had nowhere to go, nowhere to be, and for once in his life he didn't care if he got lost. He almost wanted to. He definitely felt lost. He had nothing now. Nothing. He didn't even have any feeling. He was just an empty void with no emotion whatsoever. His face was still a little red from crying, but…

And then he saw him. The jerk that had ruined his life, ruined everything, and had carelessly taken away the one thing he had going for him. Ranma. Ranma Saotome was there, sitting under the bridge, staring out at the water.

_That…that…how dare he!_ Ryoga fumed silently, his anger building inside him, _He gets cured, Akane has doubtlessly told him she loves him, and what's he doing? He's sitting there under a bridge by himself! He has no feeling for her! He has no idea how lucky he is, what I wouldn't give to be in his place! Ah! That…that…INGRATE!_

Emotions began to fill Ryoga's void rather quickly, and most of those emotions were anger, bitterness, fury, betrayal, and a strong, strong need for violence. Ryoga ran at Ranma full speed shouting wrathfully, "Ranma! Prepare to die!"

Ranma looked up momentarily, but made no move to fight, or even to dodge. Ryoga's kick landed right on target and slammed Ranma right in the side, The young girl grunted then went flying sideways into the side of the bridge. Ryoga grabbed Ranma by the collar of her red Chinese shirt and punched her in the face.

"Ranma you jerk!" he shouted, and punched her again.

"You have no idea how much pain you have caused me!" he roared, aiming another punch.

"Everything in my life is wrong!" he shouted, punching.

"And it is all your fault!" one more punch. It was then that he realized Ranma was making no effort to fight back. This only infuriated him further, and he threw her to the ground and shouted, "What the hell is wrong with you? Get up and fight me like a man!"

This last sentence was too much for Ranma because it brought into full light the simple fact that she couldn't. She would never, ever be able to fight someone like a man again, Ever.

A look of hopelessness crossed her face, and Ranma did something Ryoga had never, even in his wildest, craziest dreams, expected her to do. Ranma's face screwed up against the threatening tears once more, but this time she failed, and proceeded to slump to the ground, bury her face in her hands, and begin to sob loudly.

Ryoga blanched and looked at Ranma in shock. _What the…is Ranma…crying?_ He thought as he stood there, dumbfounded and entirely unsure what to do. _Is this some sort of a trick?_ He wondered, but…her despair…it just looked so real. She was really sobbing as if her heart out. He had intended to beat Ranma into a bloody pulp for ruining his life, but it was rather hard to beat someone up when they were sobbing as if their life was over and their heart was breaking.

"R-Ranma?" Ryoga stuttered out in confusion, "Why are…I mean…c-come on! Quit acting like a girl!"

That only made Ranma cry harder, and Ryoga noticed for the first time that Ranma was not Ranma as he knew him, but was in his girl form! _Wait a minute…I thought that spell was supposed to take the magic out of Ranma's body…so shouldn't he be unable to turn into a girl anymore? Shouldn't his curse be gone?_ Ryoga wondered, then it hit him, _Oh…that's the slight problem…Something must have messed up and Ranma got stuck in girl form instead of guy form…_

Ryoga suddenly knelt down next to Ranma on the ground, no longer really feeling like fighting him. He just looked…too pathetic to fight. "Come on, Ranma," he said, almost gently, "Don't worry, I'm sure Dr. Tofu or Cologne can find a cure. I mean, it's not as if you are stuck as a girl forever, right?"

This only made Ranma sob harder and now she began to wail and keen pathetically, and Ryoga had to admit it was all making him extremely uncomfortable. He had never seen Ranma, or any guy (Well, anyone who was supposed to be a guy anyway) cry like this before, and he awkwardly patted Ranma on the back and said, "T-there, there, Ranma. Erm…it's not…it's not the end of the world…"

And a second later he seriously regretted patting Ranma on the back because Ranma then lunged at Ryoga and threw her arms around his waist and continued to sob as if the world was ending. Ryoga stiffened and said, voice cracking horribly from shock, fear, and general confusion, "W-what are you doing?"

Suddenly a shiver went through his body, and he got the worst feeling of de ja vu ever. The world went a bit fuzzy, and he began to smell rather burnt cookies. His eyes had closed and he didn't even notice it, but soon he was seeing a strange, bright white hallway that he recognized as the hall from his junior high school.

"Oh no!" said a girls voice, then a second later she whelped in pain and a metal tray clanked onto the tabletop. Ryoga walked in and saw girl type Ranma in a girl's school uniform, waving a dish rag over some seriously smoking…were those supposed to be cookies? Ryoga chuckled and seemed to know that the scenario was ironically amusing, but he couldn't for the life of him remember why. _When did that happen?_ He wondered.

Suddenly, he snapped back into reality, and Ranma, his mortal…rival, was still sobbing uncontrollably into his chest. He looked up and saw Akane peek under the bridge, and in a combination of seeing Akane after she had violently ripped his heart out of his chest and thrown it into a blender, the strangeness of that little vision, and the knowledge that this scenario looked rather odd, he jumped back so violently that Ranma fell off of him.

"Akane!" he breathed out awkwardly.

"Ranma!" Akane said, running over, and embracing Ranma, who then proceeded to sob into her instead, "Oh, thank God you found hi…her Ryoga! We've been looking everywhere!"

"Oh…well," Ryoga said, his voice a mixture of sadness and bitterness, but Akane didn't notice because she was too busy cradling her precious Ranma, "Yeah, well…whatever. I got to get going,"

And he got up and turned away, walking up the slope and towards the road. _That is by far the _weirdest_ thing that has ever happened to me…_he thought as he took one last look down at the scene of ultimate strangeness below him. He shook his head and headed off towards the park to find where he had set up camp.

(3 Days Later)

"Nabiki, I'm worried about Ranma," Kasumi said quietly to her sister as they sipped tea in the sitting room. They were about the only two who had used that sitting room in over three days, and it was all beginning to feel rather lonesome and gloomy. "She hasn't eaten in three days, she has barely left her room! And the others are no help, they don't even seem to notice!"

"Well, what do you expect, Kasumi?" Nabiki said, rolling her eyes. She had been doing that a lot lately because the situation was so odd that acting cocky was the only way she could think to deal with it all. Besides, everyone else around her seemed to be falling apart, except for her, and the ever cool and collected Kasumi. But there was nothing she could do, and she knew it, so rolling her eyes and making sarcastic remarks seemed like the best option for some reason.

"How would _you_ feel if you found out you were really a boy?" Nabiki asked her sister.

"Oh!" Kasumi exclaimed, "How horrible!"

"Yeah, and how would you feel if you found out your fiancée was actually a girl?" Nabiki continued.

Kasumi shook her head, and Nabiki said, "And how would you feel if you found out your son was actually your daughter?"

Kasumi put her hand to her mouth dramatically, so Nabiki finished with, "And how would you feel if your stupidity and selfishness had ruined the life of an innocent girl, and now that girl, your family, your friends, and everyone you knew hated you for it?"

Kasumi opened her mouth to say something, but stopped, and instead looked over Nabiki's shoulder, her eyes widening in shock and she exclaimed, "Oh, father!"

Nabiki turned around to see her fathers slumped, unshaven form in the doorway, eyes glistening with tears, face red, and she just knew he had heard everything she had said.

"Daddy!" she said awkwardly, unsure how to proceed after that, "I didn't mean, I mean, I don't…"

"I understand," Soun said grimly, "And I would expect no less. I deserve no pity for what I have done…but to have my own daughters hate me…"

"Oh, Father! We don't hate you!" Kasumi said as sweetly and encouragingly as possible.

"No, Kasumi. Do not try to comfort me. I am not the one who needs it. What I need is to fix this. I need to stop sitting around feeling guilty and sorry and I need to make things right…"

"But Daddy, how can you?" Nabiki asked, "You talked to Kalla yourself. She told you there is NOTHING you can do!"

"Still…" Soun said, "I have to try," And with that, he turned to leave the room. Kasumi and Nabiki said nothing to each other, just looked at the other with a sad expression on their face. They could not deny they were angry with him, but they still felt bad about what he had heard…and they knew he really _was_ sorry about this…but still…

When he came back into the room, he had a large pack on his back, and was wearing a determined and grim expression.

"Father! Where are you going?" Kasumi said, running to his side.

"I am going to set things right," he said, "I am going to find a way to make Ranma a man again,"

"Daddy, you can't! You know you can't! Don't be stupid!" Nabiki said.

"When I return," Soun said, putting his hands on his two elder daughters shoulders having ignored them completely, "I hope you will find it in your hearts to forgive me,"

"Daddy, we already forgive you! Now stop talking crazy!" Nabiki said, not entirely sure if she was telling the truth, but feeling a little desperate and willing to say anything to stop his reckless behavior.

"Look after Akane," Soun said, still not seeming to hear a word of his daughters pleas, "She will take this harder than most. Goodbye,"

"Father!" Kasumi said, her voice cracking slightly as he walked briskly through the front door and out into the warm morning air. They sadly watched his back, their skin prickling as they began to truly feel like things were starting to fall apart. For them, the revelation of Ranma's true gender had only cracked their world, but as nothing had happened to either Nabiki or Kasumi directly, they had not yet felt the full pain of the situation.

"Oh, Nabiki," Kasumi whispered, "Do you think…will he really…will he be okay?"

"He'll be okay," Nabiki said confidently, "He is a strong martial artist…what I am wondering is if he will really be able to find a cure for Ranma…"

"What cure?" Ranma's voice said from behind them, tinted with the vaguest bit of hope, though still heavily clouded with despair, and Nabiki silently decided it was time she and her sister came up with a signal to indicate someone was listening.

"Ranma!" Kasumi said, rushing over to the girl, "How are you feeling? Are you feeling ill? Are you hungry?"

"No, thanks Kasumi," Ranma said quietly, "I'm feeling fine,"

"Do you want something to eat?" Kasumi asked sweetly, "Because I can go and cook you up some miso soup or perhaps some rice if you want something a little less…"

"No thanks, Kasumi, I'm not very hungry," Ranma said, and simply sat down silently at the table, then asked again, "So Soun's gone to find me a cure…"

Kasumi nodded and she and Nabiki awkwardly sat down at the table, and no one spoke. Ranma had said it so mechanically, almost nonchalantly. She had stated it more than anything. There was no hope in her voice that time, no anger, no despair. Nothing. It was hallow. A second later, Nabiki jokingly said, "So, Ranma, you've decided to emerge from your cave I see,"

Ranma looked up and rewarded Nabiki was a small twitch of her lips that was almost a smile, but still a rather depressed looking one. She _did_ appreciate Nabiki's joking around. Everyone else was being so awkward and touchy around her, treating her like she was some sort of delicate piece of China. Or like she was some freak…

"Yeah…I got…bored," she said.

"I'd imagine…" Nabiki said, and that was the end of the smooth conversation and things quickly became awkward again.

"How's Akane?" Ranma asked.

"We…haven't seen her in a few days," Kasumi said, "She took to her room when we got home, just like our fathers and you,"

"I see…" Ranma said, then standing up she said, "I had better go talk to her…"

Nabiki and Kasumi looked at Ranma, unsure of what to say to this. Ranma and Akane surely did need to talk, but she knew this was very hard on Ranma, and was also very hard on Akane. And the two of them had never really been that great at talking things out.

Ranma turned and left the room, climbing back up the stairs and knocking on Akane's door. When she got no answer, she said gently and nervously, "Akane? You in there?"

No answer. Ranma sighed. _This is going to be awkward…but…I don't know…I can't be alone anymore, and I don't know…this seemed like a good idea a few minutes ago, I don't even know what I am going to talk to her about…_

Nevertheless, Ranma gently opened the door to Akane's room, and was surprised to find that she wasn't there. There was a piece of paper on the bed with the words, "Out. Be back in a bit," scrawled on it.

"Now, where's she gone?" Ranma wondered, and more for the sake of doing something than any actual desire to talk to Akane, because all that doing nothing was going to kill her, she decided to go out and find her. It was better than sitting in her room and crying quietly, after all. And as much as she hated to admit it, life _did_ have to go on, even if it only went on to find a way out of this…

And so, several minutes later, Ranma was wandering through the streets with her hands in her pockets and her shoulders slumped, feeling like she was not a part of this world, and maybe leaving the house was a mistake and maybe she really was better off just crawling into a hole and dying.

"Ah, there she is," Ranma said out loud, quickly burying her thoughts and hoping only that she could go as long as possible without dealing with this problem. Not yet, she wasn't ready yet. She started to walk towards the park where she could see Akane sitting on the swings next to Ryoga. _Oh great, _Ranma thought, _What's he still doing around here?_ Ranma stopped short and vaguely considered turning around as she embarrassedly remembered the last time she had seen Ryoga and had thoroughly broken down on him. And he had to know by now what was going on, and he was sure to come over and make fun of her and that is just not what Ranma needed. _They haven't seen me yet, I can just…_

"Ranma!" Akane said as she looked up and caught sight of her fiancé. Ranma jumped a little in surprise and quietly cursed herself for not leaving immediately. Instead, she simply walked over to them, hands still nervously in her pockets, and shrugged.

"Hey," Ranma said.

"Hey," Akane said.

Ryoga opened his mouth, but said nothing. His mind was whirling…Akane had just tearfully told him everything that had happened, and he was so…unsure. He had no idea what to think, how to react. He just stared at Ranma, and seemed unable to stop staring at his rival…his rival who was a girl. He was glad that Ranma was looking down at the ground because he was completely unable to stop staring at her…it was just so…weird. Suddenly, Ranma glanced up, and Ryoga looked away awkwardly.

"So…uh…" he said, rubbing the back of his head, but he could think of nothing to say. What do you _say_ in a situation like this? "So, you're a chic, huh? Guess that means I can't beat you up anymore!" Yeah, right, that'd go over real big. "So, your entire life just fell apart and went to hell and, hey, on the plus side, I'm actually glad that the worst I have to deal with is a little Jusenkyo curse and a bad sense of direction." No, that was just…too cruel and blatant.

"My father left," Akane said conversationally, "I saw him pass the park,"

"I know," Ranma said.

"I thought he might do that," Akane added simply.

"I guess," Ranma said.

Ryoga cleared his throat and for the first time in his life wished he would turn into P-Chan so he wouldn't feel like he had to say something. If he didn't know what to think, how could be know what to say? On the one hand, he couldn't help but think that Ranma and Akane were officially over now, right? Unsurprisingly, that wasn't the jump for joy news he always imagined it to be. He didn't know _what_ to think of it. Akane was still in love with Ranma, he knew that much. But now it was really hopeless, and Akane was hurting. And most of him felt terrible about that, but he couldn't deny that a part of him was going, "Now you know what it feels like!". Ranma was his friend, sort of, but he had been waiting for him to fall for ages. But like this? He had never even imagined…not in his wildest dreams…ever…

"Maybe he will find a cure…" Akane suggested.

"Doubt it," Ranma said, shrugging.

"Why are you so pessimistic? It could happen," Akane scolded.

"Yeah, doesn't seem likely to me. Besides, you heard him. He said that Kalla demon said I was stuck this way," Ranma replied hopelessly.

"Well, maybe she was lying!" Akane practically yelled, "What, do you enjoy being a girl or something?"

"What?" Ranma practically shrieked, "How dare you! You know I don't! How can you even say something like that! What, do you think I'm some kind of a freak?" Ranma shouted back.

"Hey, I…" Akane began to retort angrily.

"I should have known you wouldn't understand! This is hard, okay, and the last thing I need is for some un-cute tomboy to call me names!" Ranma shouted back angrily.

"I never…fine, you know what! Fine! You want me to call you names? Fine!" Akane shouted at Ranma, and leaning over Ryoga, she shouted angrily into Ranma's face, "Freak! Jerk! Pervert!"

Ranma's eyes began to prick with tears again, but Akane didn't stay long enough to see if she started to cry because she took off running away from the park.

"Akane!" Ranma shouted, and took off after her by habit, closely followed by Ryoga who jumped off the swing and joined the chase. Ryoga quickly overtook Ranma, whose girl legs were far shorter than his, and who was beginning to feel the lack of food for the past three days. Akane dove over the fence and took off running, and even though Ryoga could easily have caught her, for some strange, inexplicable reason, he stopped running, and turned around. He saw Ranma just as she sunk down to her knees, shaking slightly.

He groaned, and fought a rather difficult silent battle. _Damnit! _He shouted silently, _Akane is hurt, and upset, and she needs me, and I can still catch her and go comfort her…but…Ranma…augh!_ As much as he wanted to chase after Akane as he had for the past year of his life, looking back at the frail, weak female form of Ranma who could barely keep herself in a sitting position, he knew where he was needed more. _Damnit! I did _not_ sign up to be Ranma's babysitter or counselor or whatever!_ Ryoga fumed silently, shaking his head and turning around. It seems like as soon as he had admitted to himself that he didn't thoroughly, purely hate Ranma, he felt more responsible towards him, and recently he…er…she was just looking so pathetic that he couldn't stand to not help. _I mean, what kind of person would I be…augh! Fine!_ He thought as he walked back towards where Ranma was slumped on the ground.

"You okay?" He asked, trying not to sound too concerned and also to keep from sounding annoyed that he had to abandon Akane.

Ranma nodded, "Yeah…"

Ryoga sighed in exasperation. Clearly Ranma wasn't okay or she would be chasing after Akane right now, and not sitting on the ground barely supporting herself on her shaking arms. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"'S nothin'," Ranma mumbled, and moved to stand up, but failed and swayed. Ryoga put his hands up as Ranma fell towards him, and steadied her, aware that he was avoiding touching her as much as possible. It was just…weird…he still couldn't comprehend the fact that Ranma, the Ranma Saotome, man among men, was actually a girl, that this body that he had grown so used to being his cursed form was actually his real form, _her_ real form. There were just too many issues around Ranma's body right now, and he felt very strange being too close too her, but he wasn't going to let her just fall to the ground. He wasn't a total jerk. But he wasn't doing this because she was a girl…not at all. And it wasn't because she was Ranma either. Or because he was a guy. Or because she was his friend because she wasn't or… _It's no use! I feel weird around Ranma now no matter how I think of it!_

"You don't have to help me, ya' know, if it makes you uncomfortable," Ranma said, "I know I'm a freak. Akane's right,"

"That's…not it," Ryoga lied, then both to prove his point and because he felt like a total jerk for being so blatantly uncomfortable, he caught Ranma properly when she stumbled that time, "Look, you can't walk, you can barely stand…"

"It's nothing…I just haven't eaten for a few days,"

"Come on," Ryoga said, leaning down, and slung Ranma's arm over his shoulder as if she had a sprained ankle. He froze as he remembered the feel of a hard kick to his side, one that had happened ages ago.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to actually hit you, there!" a female voice said.

"Well, you did," Ryoga's voice grunted out.

"Well, maybe you're too slow, ever think of that?" the girl said in mock teasing, and he recognized the girls voice as Ranma's.

"Hey! You just…caught me off guard!" Ryoga heard himself say, "Let's go again,"

Suddenly, he jolted and was back in the park, and looked down at Ranma's pale, weakened form. _What the hell was that…was that…_

"One of those memories," Ranma said.

"What?" Ryoga asked.

"Akane told you, right? That we'd all be getting back memories of…the old me…" Ranma said, "I guess that was one of them. We knew each other in middle school, remember, so that must have been one of the memories…I've been having them since I…found out…"

Ryoga suddenly felt very odd, and for some inexplicable reason said, "I don't know what you're talking about. I was just getting my balance. Let's go,"


	7. Ukyo's World

_Author's Note: Sorry it took so long to update...but...well, here it is now! Enjoy:)  
_

**Worlds Fall Apart**

**Chapter 7-Ukyo's World**

"Ukyo closed her eyes tight, and tried hard to remember everything she could about Ranma. There they were, five years old, splashing each other in a stream…and yep, he was definitely a guy. Later that year, their fathers brought them to a festival…still a guy. _I don't get it…_she said to herself, _How is it that I can't remember a thing about Ranma? Except what I have always known…there has to be some mistake…Ranma-honey can't be a girl, he can't be! He's my…_

"Ukyo, you here?" Ryoga's voice called from the doorway, and Ukyo started as she stood up straight. She had been leaning on the counter, trying hard to remember anything she could about Ranma being…a girl.

"Back here, what's up?" she said, then when she saw that Ryoga was helping Ranma in, she stood even more alertly, and a part of her froze, "Oh! Hi, Ranma!"

Ranma nodded, but said nothing, and Ryoga helped her into a chair then quickly sat down in the one next to it, silently very glad to be able to stop touching Ranma because, damnit, he was only human and it was _weird_ okay? "Ranma hasn't been eating and collapsed in the park," Ryoga explained.

"Not eating? Ranma!" Ukyo scolded, trying hard to sound natural, "Here, let me cook you up an Okinomiyaki, that ought to make you feel better, huh?"

Ranma gave her a weak smile. She had to admit, even if everyone _was_ treating her strangely, she appreciated that they were making an effort. Still…she wished things could just be normal…well, as normal as they had ever been for her.

"Well, Ukyo…Ranma…I'll be going…uhhh…bye," Ryoga said, then stood up to leave, and a few moments later, Ukyo handed Ranma a perfectly cooked Okinomiyaki, and the sight of it made her stomach rumble and her mouth salivate, and she realized just how hungry she was, and wasted no time in devouring the it, then devouring another, and then another, and then leaning back contentedly in her chair.

"So…Ranma-honey…uhhh…guess I can't call you that anymore, huh?" Ukyo said, trying hard to chuckle. Heck, it was better then crying, which is what she really wanted to do.

"Guess not," Ranma said, chuckling a little herself. Being able to make light of things did help a little, even if she knew it was only covering for the pain.

"So…" Ukyo said, cleaning up her grill and glancing up at Ranma, "Is it out of line for me to ask you how it's going?"

"How what's going?" Ranma shrugged, licking off her fingers.

_Heh…even when his whole world is collapsing he tries to be cool…that's my Ranma-honey…err…that's Ranma for ya',_ Ukyo thought silently with a pained smile.

"Everything. You know, your whole life has sort of changed, I mean, you gotta have some feelings on that, right?" Ukyo said.

"Well, sure," Ranma said, "I'm…confused…angry…scared…"

"I can imagine," Ukyo said, choosing to let it slide for the moment that Ranma had just admitted he was scared, "But, how are you dealing?"

"Well, I wasn't dealing too well at all," Ranma said, dropping her head down, "I mean, I didn't eat, and I never do that…it just, it feels like the end of the world,"

Ukyo looked sadly at her fiancé…her former fiancé…_I'll deal with that bit later, right now, Ranma needs me to be hi…her friend…not her fiancé…besides, this is partly my fault…largely my fault…_Ukyo looked over at Ranma, hunched over and looking at the table, looking more lost and scared than she had ever seen him look. Ranma had always been so confident, overly so at times, and now he was a weak, cowering mess. Of course, if took something like _this_ to do it to him, but still. That still showed just how strong Ranma was, right? So…maybe he'd…she'd be able to get through this…_Still…it must be eating Ranma up inside…I've never heard Ranma be so readily open about his feelings before, this must really be killing him…_

"But it's not," Ranma said finally, then added quietly, "Unfortunately,"

"Hey, you're Ranma Saotome, and whether you are a man or a woman, you are strong, and you can get through this. You've faced some pretty hard stuff, and I think…I _know_ you can face this. Besides, you've got old Ukyo here by your side," Ukyo said, reaching over and touching Ranma's hand in a friendly way. Suddenly, her body stiffened, and she blinked hard until her eyes were stuck closed. She heard a busy street, but it seemed to be behind a wall because the sound was stifled. She smelled what could only be her father's Okinomiyaki, and she felt a small hand take her own.

"Ucchan?" said a small voice, and Ukyo turned around to see a little girl in a tiny karate gi looking at her with big blue eyes and a cute little red ponytail. It was clearly Ranma, but this Ranma was clearly a girl. A little girl. A five year old girl. "I'm sorry I hurt you when we were playing. Are you mad at me?"

"Hurt me? It'll take a lot more than that to make me mad. Besides, I need to learn to use my spatula like a weapon, like Daddy does," Ukyo heard herself say.

"Good, because I don't want you to be mad at me. You know I am only playing around when I beat you up, right? It is just training," the little girl Ranma said.

"I know, and so does my Daddy, that's why he keeps giving you okinomiyaki," Ukyo said with a wink.

"Ukyo, I think my Pop is going to make us leave soon," Ranma said sadly, "He keeps looking around at people and hiding. He does that whenever we are getting ready to leave,"

"Don't worry, even if you leave, we'll always be friends. I'll find you, and then we can open up an okinomiyaki shop, and I can cook and you can beat people up when they don't pay their bill, okay?" Ukyo said, then held up a pinky and said, "Friends forever okay?"

"Okay!" the small Ranma said with a beaming smile, shoving her pinky into a lock with the young Ukyo's.

And suddenly, Ukyo stumbled backwards, once again in her Okinomiyaki shop, and looking at a wide eyed Ranma. She could feel herself shaking, and she backed away a little to regain her composure.

"We…we never talked about what would happen when I was the one not paying my bill, did we?" Ranma said suddenly.

Ukyo looked up at Ranma, tears in her eyes, resolve in her heart, and said, "Friends don't have to pay bills…and we're…friends…forever,"

Ranma smiled at her, and felt a part of her heart melt as she saw something in Ukyo's face she hadn't seen since they were little…friendship. No strings attached friendship. For the first time since Ukyo had barreled back into her life, she was looking at Ranma as a friend, and not as a fiancé. She was not thinking about how to snag him as her husband, but how to keep her as her friend. And just knowing that made a good chunk of Ranma's problems melt away…

"Ukyo…I can't sulk forever…" Ranma said suddenly.

Ukyo looked at her in surprise and said jokingly, voice still a little uneven, "Aww, why not?"

"I've already had…several of those…memories. Dr. Tofu and Mr. Tendo were right…I am beginning to remember it," Ranma said, feeling very strange, "I remember being a girl. I don't know how I feel about it yet, but now…now at least I know it was real. And…if it is real…then I need to get used to it. At least until I find out for sure if there is a cure…"

"What if there is a cure?" Ukyo said.

Ranma took a deep breath and said, "If there is…I'll see what I want to do about it then…but right now, I need to start rebuilding my life…as a girl…"

"Good plan," Ukyo said, and neither of them spoke for a second.

Then, Ranma stood up and said, "And I think I need one more okinomiyaki for the road,"

Ukyo shook her head and said jokingly, "Freeloader,", but set to work cooking Ranma a deluxe Okinomiyaki.


	8. A Girl's World

_Author's Note: Yike, it's been a while since my last update…o.o SORRY! The truth is, I was so busy I forgot. I mean, I had the chapter there and ready, I jus forgot to post it! . If I ever go longer than a week without posting again, feel free to send me a PM bugging me to update! ;) Chances are I have simply forgotten to post._

_Anyway, the story jumps ahead now, two weeks into the future since the last chapter. I didn't want Ranma and Co. to have to go through every single day that is all gonna be the same drama and angst of finding out the truth. _

_Enjoy!_

**Worlds Fall Apart**

**Chapter 8-A Girl's World**

**(2 weeks later)**

"Wow Ranma!" Nabiki said as Ranma came out of the bathroom drying her hair with a towel, "That time it only took you half an hour to wash up! What an improvement,"

"Awww, shut up," Ranma said, sitting down at the table for breakfast. Once Kasumi had finally convinced Ranma to shower, it had been a rather dramatic and painful process. For one, Ranma hadn't showered in five days straight, and that was five days spent crying, running around, and not changing her clothes at all, and so the dirt, grime, and general stench was getting pretty bad, not to mention that her hair could probably have greased a pizza. Ranma had protested something awful, insisting she did not need to shower, and only gave in once Nabiki cleverly teased, "What, are you scared or something?"

The truth was, Ranma was scared. Or rather, horribly afraid of what showering would mean. Showering would mean getting into the hot water, and not changing back into a guy. It would mean having to see and touch her female body, which was no longer her cursed form, but _her_ form. It would mean accepting the fact that she was no longer a guy because, well, there was definitely a distinct lack of the correct parts and she just couldn't convince herself, couldn't lie to herself anymore. Showering was a large step towards accepting her fate, and she didn't know if she was ready to come out of denial just yet.

True, Ranma had vowed just a few days before that at Ucchan's that she would get on with life and try to accept this until a cure came along, but, well, she never said it was going to be easy. And so, the first time Ranma had taken a bath, she had sat in the tub crying for nearly an hour before even beginning to wash herself, and that had taken extra long in itself because she was trying as hard as possible not to touch her body or to feel her feminine physique while still attempting to get clean. It had gotten easier since then, and even though she still washed herself with her eyes mostly closed or while looking at something else, she had to admit it got easier everyday. Adaptation and the onrush of old memories helped with that.

"Oh, Ranma!" Kasumi scolded, "You really should unbraid your hair when you shower, you know!"

"What? What are you talking about, I always do it like this," Ranma said as she tightened the hairpiece at the end of her sloppy pigtail defensively.

"Yeah, but you're a girl now," Nabiki said, "And you said you wanted to get used to it, and well, girls brush their hair,"

"Yeah, but…" Ranma began, but was cut off by Nabiki.

"And another thing, what is with those clothes?" she said.

"Hey! This is Chinese silk, okay! I've been wearing them for ages!" Ranma protested, buttoning the top of her shirt.

"They were okay when you were a guy, but you really need some decent clothes now," Nabiki said, or at least some different clothes, you've been wearing the same outfit for over a year, talk about a fashion victim!"

"I…I do?" Ranma said.

"Yeah. Hey, what do you say I take you shopping today to pick up some clothes and stuff. I can show you what it means to be a girl," Nabiki said.

Ranma grimaced a bit on the inside, but smiled on the outside and said, "Sure…I guess," _Don't knock it till I try it…I guess…_Ranma told herself firmly, trying hard to smile.

Akane made a disgusted sound and stood up and left the table in a huff. Ranma frowned after her and looked at the floor, turning a little red. Akane had been ignoring and avoiding her since that day in the park, and after a few days she had given up on making efforts to talk to her. She had too much going on right now, too much to worry about to deal with Akane. Akane would have to wait until Ranma could get used to herself before she made an effort to fix things with other people. As of yet, Ranma had not seen or spoken to Shampoo or Mousse, and her father had been avoiding her as well, mysteriously becoming a Panda every time she entered the room. Ranma had to wonder how she had gotten rid of her curse but her father had not. Apparently neither curse had ever happened. The memories were still a bit jumbled and confused for her though and, well, frankly, her father's Panda-like state was nowhere near the top of her concerns. She figured she'd ask Tofu eventually.

Akane had been giving her the cold shoulder, and she didn't even know what would happen at school because she hadn't gone back yet. Ukyo told her that everyone knew already. News sure did travel fast in Nerima.

Ranma was happy to have Ukyo because she was the only one who was treating her like a…well, a person. Actually, Ryoga wasn't being too bad, now that she thought of it. In fact, since Ranma had broken down on him, he hadn't yelled at her, tried to fight her, or accused her of breaking Akane's heart once, even though this time she definitely had. But because Ryoga had spent so long hating Ranma, it seemed a little strange him being so nice to her, and Ranma had a sneaking suspicion it was only because he felt sorry for her or wouldn't beat up a girl and that just ticked her right off. So yeah, Ukyo _was_ the only one treating Ranma normally.

"Don't worry about Akane," Nabiki said, "She'll get over it, just worry about yourself right now,"

"I know," Ranma said, sipping the last of her miso soup, and then standing up, "Let's go,"

"I'll meet you outside in a minute, I have to get some stuff," Nabiki said, and Ranma left the room. She stood in the hallway for a second, took a deep breath, and then proceeded into the room which would surely contain awkwardness and severe embarrassment. Ranma opened a door handle, and then swiftly kicked a bucket out of her father's hands and into the corner.

"Hi, Pop," she said.

"Ranma," Genma said awkwardly, chuckling unconvincingly, "Hey, I was going to…uhh…drink that! Ha ha!"

"Sure thing, Pop," Ranma said.

Genma looked guilty and said, "What can I do for ya', boy…errr…Ranma?"

"I need some money," Ranma said.

"Money! What do you think, I'm rich or something?" Genma said, his stinginess overpowering his awkwardness, "What do you need money for?"

Ranma didn't really want to pull this, but well, let's just say it was the easy way out, and she didn't feel like getting into a huge discussion with her father just then because she knew how hard it was to get money off the old man, he was cheap as anything.

"Girl stuff," Ranma said casually, and Genma practically turned to stone.

"It's…there's some in the top drawer…" he said stiffly.

"I knew you'd understand, Pop!" Ranma said with a cheesy grin, and then went over to the top drawer, drawing out as much as she thought she'd need and then a little extra because, well, why not take advantage of the situation, right?

"I guess we should start with the basics," Nabiki said as she wrote some things on a sheet of paper, "You know, bras, panties, hair care products…"

"B-bras?" Ranma practically squeaked. She was already slouching awkwardly and following Nabiki through the crowded shopping center like a lost puppy, but…_Geez! Did she have to pick the hardest one first?_

"Yeah! Bras," Nabiki said, then looked at Ranma appraisingly and said, "You've got a nice set on you, you really should get some proper support if you want to keep them perky,"

Ranma turned redder than anything and crossed her arms over her chest nervously.

"In here," Nabiki said, leading Ranma into by far the pinkest, frilliest lingerie section she had ever seen, and almost as soon as they walked into the door, Nabiki began wildly picking up Bras and panties in a variety of colors and frills and lace and general girly-ness.

"Oh! This is a nice one! And this!" Nabiki said, as she tossed items into Ranma's arms, never tuning around to see how mortifyingly embarrassed she was making the poor girl who simply stood there like a deer caught in the headlights.

"And look at that nightie over there, isn't that just precious?" Nabiki said, "Ranma? Ranma, come on! Don't just stand there!" She grabbed Ranma's arm and led her further into the store, then unexpectedly took the bundle of bras and underwear from Ranma's arms and placed them on a counter top, she then grabbed a lacy purple nightgown, very sheer and with tiny pink flowers embroidered onto it, and before Ranma could say a thing she was holding it up against Ranma and saying how well it suited her.

"It's so _cute!_" Nabiki said, "You know, it reminds me of that one I gave you when Cologne put that full body cat tongue on you, remember?"

Ranma noticed a sudden silence go over the store, and she looked up in dread, having a horrible feeling she knew exactly what she was going to see. Yep. There, staring at her from several different sections of the store, were about half a dozen girls from her class, all with looks of surprise and confusion on their faces. _Figures! The day Nabiki decides to make me her dress up doll every girl in my class decides to go underwear shopping!_ Ranma thought as she scanned the faces of several girls, many of whom she only knew second handedly, and some who were friends with Akane.

As she turned her head towards the other section of the store, she was horrified to see Hiroshi and Daisuke hanging around near the men's section. Even Ukyo was walking through the aisle holding several packages of bamboo chopsticks and napkins, probably for her restaurant.

Ranma blushed, looked downward and stared at the floor in horrible mortification and whispered, "Nabiki…I…I'm sorry, I can't do this," and ran out of the store as fast as possible.

_Why me? What did I do to deserve this! _Ranma thought as she ran as far from the department store as she possibly could. She finally stopped, panting, in front of the park, then sunk down into the sand and caught her breath. _This is so unfair! Why can't anything EVER work out for me! Why?_ She thought angrily, then punched hard down into the sand with a loud battle cry, sending a wave of sand flying all over the place. She punched it again and again and again and sand flew up all around her, and she only stopped when she heard a voice say tentatively, "Ranma?"

"Ranma! There you are!" Ukyo said as she came up to Ranma, panting, "You okay?"

"Hey Ucchan, yeah, I'm fine," Ranma said miserably, "I'd like to crawl into a hole and die, but I'm fine,"

"Look, don't worry about it, Ranma-Honey," Ukyo said, then apologized, "Sorry, force of habit…Anyway, I mean, at least they believe it now, right?" Ukyo said, trying hard to sound encouraging.

"Yeah, they all also think I am a huge freak too, probably," Ranma grumbled.

Ranma moaning and flopped into the sand face first, groaning almost inaudibly, "Why do these things always happen to me?"

"Ran-chan, she was only trying to help," Ukyo said.

"Yeah, well she didn't! She just embarrassed me, that's all!" Ranma said angrily, hitting the sand, a lot lighter this time, "Or maybe I just can't do it. I can't be a girl, I'm a guy! I'm not a girl and I can never be one! I can't go bra shopping and I don't want to wear lacy dresses and I think high heels are the stupidest thing in the world and there is NO WAY I am ever wearing a negligee to bed! I just can't do it, damnit! I'm a guy!"

"Hey!" Ukyo said, almost a little scoldingly, "Just because lots of girls like lacy things and act all girly doesn't mean they all do!"

"Sure they do," Ranma said, oozing misogynism, "They all like shopping and giggling and frilly clothes and I just can't do that…"

"Okay! That is it!" Ukyo practically shouted, "Get up!"

"What?" Ranma asked in sudden confusion, unsure why she was so angry.

"I said get up," Ukyo said, then when Ranma just stared at her stupidly she barked, "Now!"

Ranma stood up and Ukyo grabbed her arm and marched with her, wordlessly, back into town. She stormed into her restaurant, flinging open the door violently and completely ignoring Ranma who was saying in confusion, "Ukyo! Hey! What's the big idea? Huh? What's going on? Why are you taking me here?"

Ukyo finally released Ranma when she reached her bedroom above the restaurant and stalked over to a small dresser in the corner. She flung open the drawer and started tossing articles of clothing at Ranma. Ranma caught them saying in confusion, "Ucchan! C'mon! Quit it! What are you doing?"

"Ranma-honey," Ukyo demanded once she had finished, "Look at those, do you see any lace? Huh?"

"What?" Ranma asked in confusion, feeling a little weird that she was standing there with an armful of Ukyo's clothing, a lot of them her undergarments.

"Am I a girl, Ranma?" Ukyo asked, more gently now.

"Yeah, of course," Ranma said.

"Right, and do you see anything lacy or frilly in that pile?" she asked.

Ranma examined the pile and admitted, "No,"

"You see, Ranma," Ukyo said, "Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I have to act all girly and stuff, okay? And neither do you,"

"I…I guess," Ranma said.

"I think you have the wrong idea about what it means to be a girl," Ukyo said gently, putting her hand on Ranma's shoulder, "It means being yourself, being who you are, not doing what everyone else is doing, unless that is what you want to do to. You should be yourself and dress comfortably. Don't wear lacy bras and low cut shirts just because most of girls do, just because that's what's expected of you. You are not most girls. If you want to wear T-Shirts and sports bras, then do it. If that is who you are, then that is who you are, and people will need to learn to like you for you, and not expect you to be someone you can't be,"

"I…okay…" Ranma said timidly, liking what Ukyo was saying, even if it went against all the misogynistic ideas she had been fed her entire life…or, well…those memories were fake anyway, weren't they?

"Now listen, I still need to go to the store. What do you say I take you back and help you find some clothes that are comfortable and that you like," Ukyo said, "No pressure, don't worry about getting tons of stuff, just a few essentials, 'kay?"

"No lace?" Ranma asked jokingly, a sheepish grin on her face.

"No lace," Ukyo promised.


	9. A Perfectly Good Rival

_Author's Note: Haha! I actually remembered to post this week! Thanks to all the people who sent me a PM to remind me! WOOT! Good work! Ask and ye shall receive, right? ;) Oh, and sorry for the short length, but this is where there was a natural break. Next chapter is longer. ;)  
_

_So, enjoy!_

**Worlds Fall Apart**

**Chapter 9-A Perfectly Good Rival**

"Ranma! There you are! I was really worried!" Nabiki said as Ranma walked in through the door several hours later, "What happened? Where did you go?"

"I, uhhh…just needed some time to think," Ranma said feeling a little awkward.

"Look, I'm sorry about what happened, I didn't know your school friends would be there," Nabiki said, "But we can try again some other time? Right?"

"Uhhh…sure," Ranma said, not wanting to crush her spirits or sound rude, "But…maybe some other time. I don't think I'm…ready yet…ya know?"

"Yeah, sure," Nabiki said.

"I'm gonna…go to my room…" Ranma said, and glided out of there as quickly as possible. Once she got to her room, she slid the door shut quickly, glanced around to be sure her Pop was nowhere to be seen, and began unloading the contents of her pockets.

Ranma knew Nabiki was only trying to help, but she didn't have the heart to tell her that her kind of help was only hurting. Ranma needed to figure out what it meant to be a girl, but she needed to do it on her own, and Nabiki seemed more interested in molding her than in guiding her. Truth be told, she needed Ukyo's help, but she didn't know how to break it to Nabiki.

Ranma took a look at the few articles of clothing she had purchased. She hadn't bought many, she wasn't ready for it, and it was hard enough to figure out what she wanted and to bring herself to actually purchase it and to try things on and it took a lot of Ukyo's gentle coaxing.

"Can't I just buy it and wear it anyway?" Ranma said as she and Ukyo stood at the outskirts of the bra and underwear section.

"Ranma, trust me, a bra that is the wrong size is NOT a pleasant thing, you want to try it on first," Ukyo said, "But it's only this once. Once you find your size, you can just buy them when you need them from now on,"

"Okay, fine," Ranma agreed as they walked in, "But…no lace, okay?"

Ukyo laughed and led Ranma past all the lacy, complicated brassieres, explaining the concept along the way in a quiet voice.

"There is a cup size, that is the size of your chest, and then there's the size around for the strap. You can get into complicated things like push up bras and lacy things, but I think you'd be better off starting with sports bras. They are just like tight tank tops, only shorter," Ukyo explained, then reassuringly said, "They are not girly at all, and they are most comfortable, I think,"

She grabbed a handful of the sportiest looking bras she could find and handed them to Ranma, shoved her into the try on room, and then ducked in after her. After trying on a few bras, Ranma had found her size, and quickly put back on her top.

"Okay, I think this is good," Ranma said, "Can I get this one?"

"Whatever you want, honey," Ukyo said with a smile, "Want to just keep it simple and grab a few more of the same style?"

"Please!" Ranma said, relieved to see how easy she was making this on her.

Ranma and Ukyo then proceeded to grab about four more bras in various colors. Then, Ukyo grabbed Ranma a few different styles of underwear and explained that she couldn't try them on, but should just buy them and try them out when she got a chance and could buy more later if she wanted.

"It's not like it's bad for you to wear guys underwear," She explained, "It's just not as comfortable. Believe me, I know,"

Ranma sighed as she stared at the underwear…they were smaller than her guys underwear, not as baggy. But they were pretty much plain, and she guessed they could be comfortable.

"Tomorrow…" she said to herself as she shoved the small collection into her drawer, far underneath her variety of Chinese clothes, amidst her collection of boys boxer shorts and under shirts. Ranma shut the door, glad to have that day over, and feeling surprisingly optimistic. It had been a little rough, but still…it had been easier than she had been expecting…

"Ranma?" came Kasumi's voice from behind the door as she knocked gently.

"Come in," Ranma said, shutting the drawer quickly.

"Ranma," Kasumi said, "Dr. Tofu wants to know if you would mind stopping by tomorrow,"

"Sure thing," Ranma said with a smile.

"And, Ranma, if it isn't too much to ask, would you mind running into town and getting me a few things for dinner?" Kasumi asked.

Ranma's face lit up. Not because the prospect of running into town made her particularly excited, but because this was the first time Kasumi had ventured to ask her that since she had gotten home after the whole…incident. She knew Kasumi was just worried about her, but Ranma was soon growing tired of being babied, and far too many people were babying her, and it made her feel like they thought she was weak.

"Absolutely!" Ranma said with a huge grin, jumping up.

Kasumi gave her the list of items she needed and a little money, and walked with her to the door. Ranma turned around before she left and smiled widely at Kasumi, and Kasumi couldn't help but notice it was the first real smile she had seen on Ranma in weeks.

"Thanks Kasumi," she said.

"You're…welcome?" Kasumi said, unsure why Ranma was thanking her, but glad to see the young girl in relatively high spirits. Maybe, just maybe, she was beginning to be okay with this…and maybe she was feeling better…and maybe, Kasumi thought hopefully, everything was going to be okay…

Ranma walked along on the fence top and towards the store, hands shoved in pockets, and face turned up to the setting sun. She glanced down at the ground, sensing someone's presence, and saw Ryoga walking distractedly towards her. He stopped and looked up at her.

"Hey…Ranma…" he said awkwardly.

"Ryoga," Ranma said, nodding her head at him in her usual manner.

"What are you up to?" he asked, trying to sound nonchalant but sounding horribly unnatural.

"Running into the market for Kasumi," Ranma said, then noticed that Ryoga had a guilty look on his face, and Ranma just knew, somehow, that it had something to do with Akane. She didn't know how she knew, but she just knew that Ryoga and Akane had just been talking about her, and sure enough, she saw Akane disappear behind a wall as she headed towards the Tendo Dojo.

Ryoga put his hand nervously on the back of his head, knowing full well that Ranma had figured him out and _Damnit! I bet this looks really wrong to hi…her! But hey! It's not like they are engaged anymore, I think, so what right has she got to say anything about me and Akane hanging out?_

"I was just…erm…talking to Akane," Ryoga said.

"Oh yeah," Ranma asked, "Bout what?"

"You know, this and that," Ryoga said, shrugging.

"Whatever, but you better not try and pull anything on her, got it Pig Boy. She's hurting right now and it'd be pretty sick if you tried to swoop in and take advantage of the situation, ya know?" Ranma said.

"Hey, listen here, you…" Ryoga began angrily, then swallowed and lowered his voice, trying hard to contain his anger, "It's nothing like that, okay. And she's only hurting because of you anyway so you have no…so I am just trying to help her out is all, I'm not trying to pull anything,"

Ranma fumed silently because as nice as it was not to have Ryoga in her hair and trying to kill her, this nice guy act was clearly fake and it was pissing her off.

"Augh! Would you quit it!" Ranma said, "I don't need your stupid pity! Stop trying to be all nice to me, I know it ain't sincere so it's just annoying!"

"Hey, I'm just trying to be…well…nice," Ryoga said, turning red with anger, but still holding his temper, "Would you rather I yell at you and we fight like usual?"

"Yeah, if that's what it takes!" Ranma said, "I just want everyone to treat me normal, not like I'm someone different!"

"But you are someone different!" Ryoga said in exasperation.

"Shut up! What do you know! I'm not different, I'm still the same person, I'm just a girl is all," Ranma said, "And I'm sick of people trying to change on my account! If I make you mad, you should yell at me if that's what you want to do, not treat me like I'm gonna break if you drop me!"

"Yeah, but…" Ryoga stammered.

"But nothing! Look, P-Chan, I've put up with a lot of crap from you, what with your perverted attempts to get close to Akane and never listenin' to me, and always getting lost and then blaming me when it was your own stupid fault, and always accusing me of things I didn't do," Ranma went on, partly speaking her mind, and partly just trying to piss Ryoga off, "But at least through all that you've been sincere, even if you were too stupid and slow to stop and think about things, at least you always fought for what you believed in, even if what you believed was stupid…"

"Damnit, Ranma!" Ryoga shouted angrily, finally beginning to lose control.

"Now you are just acting like some sniveling little coward who is too afraid to face me because you don't want to get beat up by a girl, so you are sneaking around in the shadows trying to make some lecherous pass at Akane behind my back instead and…"

"AUGH! Ranma! I am going to kill you!" Ryoga shouted, and like lightening reached for his umbrella and swung it violently in Ranma's direction. It surprised Ranma so much she barely had time to dodge. And then, Ryoga was chasing after her, pushing her backwards with his violent swings. They jumped down from the fence, and they continued fighting, Ryoga swinging at Ranma in rage as Ranma dodged and then cockily jumped off his head and taunted him, as per their usual fight.

"Come back here, Saotome!" Ryoga shouted as Ranma jumped back onto the fence.

"Na na!" Ranma said as she pulled a face at Ryoga, then, she lost her balance and began to flail a bit before falling backwards and right off the fence. Ryoga jumped up in anger, ready to hit her, but stopped just as Ranma screamed in surprise and fell off and into the water. Ryoga managed to regain his balance at the last minute and prevented falling into the water.

Ranma surfaced, spluttering, and looked up at Ryoga and said in annoyance, "You stupid jerk! Now look what you did!"

"Yeah, well, at least you don't have to worry about changing, right?" Ryoga said, "If I had fallen in, I'd have become P-Chan, so you really have no right to be complaining,"

"No right!" Ranma shouted, "I'm a freaking girl! And I'm stuck this way! Man! I have every right to be complaining!"

"Ranma," Ryoga said, shaking his head and looking somberly down at Ranma, "You may look like a girl, and you may not be able to change back into a guy, but to me, you will always be a man,"

"What?" Ranma asked in surprise. She had not been expecting Ryoga to be nice…_sincerely nice_ to her.

"Look, I tried to be nice and to treat you like a girl, but you are just too stubborn with your whole stupid man amongst men thing, and I just can't do it. You are always going to be a guy to me, no matter what," Ryoga said again.

"But…what about when you start getting those memories?" Ranma said, "I've been getting tons, and Ukyo is getting them too, and…and I remember you a little from middle school…won't you start to remember me being a girl?"

"Ha! Unlikely," Ryoga said, feeling a little awkward and still not wanting to admit that he was remembering Ranma as a girl, more and more all the time.

"But…" Ranma started again.

"Ranma, look, you'll always be a guy to me, got it? Do you want me to stop fighting you just because you're a girl now?" Ryoga asked impatiently.

"No," Ranma admitted, "But, can you handle being beat by a girl?"

"You're not just any girl," Ryoga said, giving Ranma one of his rare moments of respect…sincere, honest respect, not that lame awkward crap he had been pulling the past few weeks, "You are Ranma Saotome, you are one of the best Martial Artists I have ever met, and you are my rival, and I am not going to lose a perfectly good rival just because of some stupid curse,"

Ranma stared at Ryoga from her place in the water as he stealthily whipped his umbrella back into it's place on his pack and turned away and left without another word.

"Rival?" Ranma said, confused at the sudden upgrade. _When had that happened? I mean, I guess I've always sort of thought of him as my rival, even if he does get on my nerves a lot, but I always thought he just plain hated me…he's always going on about how I am his enemy and all…Oh well, at least he's not treating me all weird anymore…_

And with that, Ranma stood up, wrung out her clothes, and jumped back onto th sidewalk to finish her quest for groceries for Kasumi.


	10. Conversations

_**Author's Note: **So, here you are, Chapter The Next. Thanks again for all the comments and remember to remind me to post! Things are getting crazy now because I am preparing to move away for college and what not, so I am very liable to forget. ;)_

_Also, some food for thought…there is something going on in the background, kinda. It's pretty important, and no one has noticed it yet (in the story or any of my readers). Someone will notice in the story sometime within the next few chapters. Just thought I'd throw a torturous curiosity bone out there. Good luck and enjoy:)_

**Worlds Fall Apart**

**Chapter 10-Conversations**

Ranma walked along with her hands in her pockets and looking up at the clear blue sky. She shifted her shoulders again and grimaced…this was the first time she was wearing a bra of any kind out in public, and she had been horribly nervous about going outside with it on. Sure, it was just a plain black cotton sports bra, but she was horribly paranoid that you could see it through her shirt. The Chinese silk she wore WAS rather thin…_But I'm a girl, it's okay if I have a bra on…_she thought. She had to admit, it was infinitely more comfortable, and she had run around and jumped about quite a bit during her walk, amazed at how much more comfortable it was without everything bouncing around.

"Yo, Akane!" Ranma said suddenly as she saw Akane sitting on the swings in the park. She had tried, on random occasions when she decided she'd risk the almost definite glare, to make attempts at reconciliation with the girl.

_Aaaaand there it is…the glare…_Ranma thought as Akane pierced her with a death glare that could scare a piranha.

"Awww, come on! Quit being so pig headed! You can't stay mad at me forever!" Ranma said.

"Leave me alone, Ranma," Akane said, and turned her head huffily to the side.

"Akane…" Ranma tried again.

"I believe the lady said to leave her alone," Ryoga said suddenly. He had appeared, apparently from his campsite, holding two steaming cups of ramen, one of which he handed to Akane, and Ranma was a bit startled to see them…hanging out like this. _What on Earth? Why's she all hanging around Ryoga and stuff now? Is she trying to make me jealous or something?_

"Speaking of pigs…" Ranma said cleverly.

"What was that?" Ryoga asked, digging his elbow into Ranma's head.

"Well, I'll leave you two love birds _alone_," Ranma said in the most infuriating voice she could muster, just to embarrass Ryoga to make things incredibly awkward. It was her duty, after all, to make his life a living hell, right?

"Oh, shut up, Ranma!" Akane said, "You know it's not like that!"

"Y-yeah!" Ryoga said, turning red. _No, it's more like Akane coming over constantly to cry to me about how hurt and confused she is over stupid Ranma! _

"Whatever," Ranma shrugged, "But you can't just ignore me forever, you know. I am living in the same house as you, it's not as if you ignore me I'll just go away,"

"Yeah, freeloading at my house!" Akane screamed, "We're obviously not engaged anymore, why don't you just go away!"

"Hey, I ain't got nowhere to go, and it's your stupid Dad's fault I'm like this!"

"Well, it's your stupid fault that it all fell apart!"

"You think I WANTED it to? I never asked Ukyo and Shampoo to come putting spells on me!"

"Don't you blame them," Akane said, "You're the idiot who didn't read the directions on that clarity spell, so it was you who messed things up in the first place! What on Earth were you using such a powerful clarity spell for anyway? Probably to pick between all the girls you keep dragging along!"

"Shows what you know! I was using the stupid spell because of you! I only wanted to know how I felt about you so I could be sure if we should really get married or what!" Ranma shouted, realizing too late that he had just given her way too much information. _Oh no!_ she thought, clapping her hand over her mouth. She had been intending to never to tell anyone about the spell, it had so conveniently been forgotten in the rush following the great tragedy…but now…

"You…you were…?" Akane said, her eyes growing big and wet, "And…did you…I mean…what…"

"Look, whatever, I ain't got time for this!" Ranma said hurriedly, "I gotta go, Dr. Tofu is waiting for me, later!"

And with that, she ran off, leaving a startled Akane and a confused Ryoga in the park. Ryoga shifted uncomfortably and cursed Ranma silently for making things so uncomfortable. He knew Akane only came to talk about Ranma, but she was finally starting to ease up on that a bit and have an actual conversation with him, and then Ranma comes and ruins it, the jerk!

As much as Ryoga knew Akane was in love with Ranma, and he knew it was a bad idea and he should just try to get over her, she kept…coming over. And that was making it all very difficult for him. He had to admit though…his feelings were different now. They were tinged with bitterness. He didn't seem able to move on from Akane, and he wasn't sure he wanted to, but whenever she came, he was no longer filled with pure joy, but also with regret and bitterness and a little anger. Yet, for some reason, that made him able to be around her. He was no longer looking at her like a moon eyed fool in love, and so he could speak without stuttering, he could give her advice…in short, he didn't feel like Dr. Tofu around Kasumi. He could talk to Akane like a person. Heck! They even had a few laughs!

It was the bitterness that had done it, he was sure of it. He had been so upset, so depressed when she admitted she loved Ranma, and he couldn't forget the pain she had put him through easily, especially when she still sighed and lamented her fate regarding the jerk. This had, in a way, humanized her for Ryoga. She wasn't perfect, a flawless Goddess. She was still absolutely amazing, but she was human…she was capable of heartlessly hurting Ryoga, not taking his feelings into consideration. Heck she was doing it right now…

"Ryoga…why does Ranma always have to hurt me like that?" She said sadly, her eyes filling with tears.

"Hey, don't worry, Ranma's just going through some stuff. Besides, she's never been all that great at expressing feelings anyway, you know that…Ranma can be a damn insensitive jerk," Ryoga said, silently wishing they could go back to their conversation about Shogi from before Ranma came by. It had been a nice change.

"He was always so obsessed with being manly," Akane said, "I guess I just can't fathom that he's a…a girl, ya know?"

Ryoga made a non-committal grunting sound, and Akane went on.

"I guess I should have seen it coming, he did change into a girl a lot when he was…a he. You know, like he always used to become a girl to win fights or to tease you or to get free food. I guess, maybe he has always been a girl at heart,"

"I don't think so, Ranma will just do anything to win, you know that," Ryoga said.

"I just can't help but think that Ranma never cared about me at all…that I was always just his dumb, un-cute fiancé who was in his way all the time," Akane said with a sigh.

"Akane, you're not dumb! You are amazing! You are smart, and beautiful, and any guy in their right mind would be lucky to have you! I know I…" Ryoga started, heart pounding as he seemed to be barging recklessly into a confession.

But he never finished because Akane interrupted him with a smile (a welcome thing) and a sentence that was the bane of many poor guys, "Oh, Ryoga! You are such a great friend!"

"Gee, thanks," Ryoga said, slumping down slightly.

Not noticing his sarcasm, Akane went on, "Really! You are so kind to me and such a good listener! I have really been enjoying talking with you and hanging out with you these past few weeks…really,"

Ryoga beamed. It wasn't a confession of love, but damnit! It was a start! Was Akane _really_ starting to appreciate him? Was he really starting to become more than her pet P-Chan? Ryoga smiled at her, but behind that smile was some reserve…it wasn't the jump for joy thing it once would have been…his mind was screaming at him that this should be the happiest moment of his life, but his heart just didn't seem to care as much as it once did. It cared, it definitely cared, a whole lot, but…not as much as it used to…The thought vaguely passed through Ryoga's mind that maybe he was finally getting over Akane, but only vaguely. It flitted by, and then was gone when he looked at her sweet smile. He smiled back and then looked out at the setting sun.

"Hey, what's up, Doc?" Ranma asked Dr. Tofu as he wandered into his office to see her.

"Ranma, you came, excellent!" Dr. Tofu said.

"Of course," Ranma said, "So, what did you want to see me about?"

"A check up," Dr. Tofu said, then motioned for Ranma to come into a room, "It's been about 3 weeks since you were last in here. Usually I do check ups two weeks after a major incident, but I didn't want to rush you. Kasumi tells me you have been doing better, so I thought I had better drag you in here and poke and prod you with stethoscopes and thermometers,"

"Erm…okay," Ranma said, and sat down on the table as Dr. Tofu proceeded to do exactly as he had promised and poked and prodded her with a variety of medical equipment.

"Was the spell you did on me really that dangerous?" Ranma wondered.

"Well, yes…but…" Dr. Tofu began, then pulled up a chair and sat down, looking at Ranma, "That is not the only reason I called you here,"

Ranma froze up as she wondered what he could possibly be about to break to her, and she was sure she must have gone a bit pale and possibly stopped breathing because he laughed good naturedly and said, "Don't worry, it's nothing bad. I was just wondering how you are holding up, you know, mentally…"

"Oh…" Ranma said, and breathed a sigh of relief, "Okay, I guess,"

Dr. Tofu nodded at Ranma seemingly motioning to her to go on.

"Well…I was pretty upset at first, you know, obviously…I was angry, and I thought it must be a mistake…I…" Ranma stopped, looking at the ground awkwardly. She had never been real big on talking about her feelings, and she didn't even know how Dr. Tofu had gotten her to say that much.

"Go on," Dr. Tofu said, "Ranma, you can talk to me. I am your doctor, after all, and I may not be a psychiatrist, but I am a good listener, and I will keep everything said between us in the utmost confidentiality,"

Ranma bit her lower lip…she DID want to talk to someone, and, well…Dr. Tofu was a nice guy, and easy to talk to, and he was pretty neutral to the whole situation…but, well, this wasn't exactly the easiest thing to talk about and…

"Ranma, you can trust me, I promise," Dr. Tofu said with a smile so disarming that Ranma just caved and started to spill.

"I didn't want to believe it, it destroyed everything I knew, so I kept denying it, but then I started to get those memories, and they keep coming, and I can remember bits and pieces of my life as a girl. It is kind of foggy and very pieced, but I can remember it…I was a girl…" Ranma said, then took a deep breath, "And as much as I want to deny it, I can't because I know it is real, so that means my only option is to accept it and try and get used to it. But I am afraid of what other people will think if I do. I know I have to do that, but other people don't…_can't_ know what I have to do, so what if they think I am a freak or pervert for wanting to get used to this?"

"Who would think that?" Dr. Tofu said, "I know I don't, and I'm sure your friends don't either, they might just have a little trouble adjusting,"

"Try a lot of trouble! Akane won't even talk to me!" Ranma said, "Pop ignores me, I haven't even heard from Shampoo or Mousse, Nabiki thinks I am her new dress up doll, and Ryoga was being way too nice! Only Ukyo seems able to cope since she has the most memories because we were kids together…"

"Has she been remembering?" Dr. Tofu asked.

"Yeah," Ranma said, "Those memories are pretty strange. They are almost like seizures. They come at random, and I sieze up, and my eyes shut, and I can see, hear, taste, smell, or feel whatever happened, sometimes clearly, sometimes not. Then I snap back and have to shake it off…I've seen it happen to her,"

"The memories should help people to cope, the more they remember you as a female, the more they will be able to fathom it," Dr. Tofu suggested, "The ones without memories of you as a girl will just have to get used to it,"

Ranma nodded and thought of what Ryoga had said, about how he would never see Ranma as a girl, he would always be a guy. And Ranma suspected that Ryoga might also be having those strange memories, but he seems to not be admitting it for some reason.

"I dunno," Ranma said with a hopeless shrug, then went on, "It's just, I feel like everyone thinks I am a total freak!"

"Well, I don't," Dr. Tofu said, "And I'm sure others don't either, they probably just don't know how to deal, and sometimes we say hurtful things when we are angry,"

"But…sometimes I think, what if they are right?" Ranma said.

"Do _you_ think you are a freak?" Dr. Tofu asked.

"I…I…for Gods sake I am wearing a bra!" Ranma blurted out, throwing her hands in the air, "Ranma Saotome, man among men, is wearing a bra! And you know what the worst part is? I don't MIND! I kind of like it! It's more comfortable than going braless, and you know what that means, that means I am _thinking_ like a girl, acting like a girl! I am having a girls thoughts!"

"Well, you are a girl. You've accepted that, right? So what's so bad about having a girls thoughts?" Dr. Tofu wondered.

"It's not…me…" Ranma said dejectedly, "Or maybe it is…the thing is, I am changing, and I can't seem to stop it. I can't seem to think and feel the way I used to. Like, they aren't my thoughts, but they are. It's hard to explain…"

"You, the male Ranma, never would have had those thoughts, so you feel they are not like you. But as you spend more time as a girl, regaining memories of your former life, these thoughts are occurring naturally, and you seem to _know_ they are your thoughts, even if the current you would never dream of having them," Dr. Tofu ventured.

Ranma simply blinked at him and nodded dumbly, "Exactly…"

"Well, Ranma, allow me to get philosophical here…you think, therefore you are, right?"

"Whazzat?" Ranma asked, raising a confused eyebrow.

"What I mean is, you are having these thoughts, so clearly they are yours," Dr. Tofu said, "In a way, your thoughts make up who you are, right? Because only you can have them…maybe you should listen to your thoughts, and not other people. Worry, for now, about what _you_ are thinking, and not about what other people would think of your thoughts. You need to become comfortable with yourself before you can expect other people to feel comfortable with you,"

"I guess," Ranma said, slumping and looking at the floor.

"Besides, trying to deal with other people and your own issues at the same time is very tiring," Dr. Tofu said, "One thing at a time, don't you agree?"

"Yeah," Ranma said, "I do…thanks, Dr. Tofu…thanks a lot, it has been…really helpful to be able to talk to you about this…"

"Anytime," Dr. Tofu said, and then when he saw the look on Ranma's face, a look that clearly said she had not said everything on her mind and couldn't not in one day, he added, "How about once a week?"

"I don't want to be a burden…" Ranma said politely.

"It's my pleasure! Dr. Tofu said, "Same time next Friday then?"

"Okay!" Ranma smiled, and headed out the door.


	11. Shampoo's World

_Author's Note: Here you go, next chapter! Sorry it took so long, but I am busy getting myself ready to move, so I've been doing tons of packing and what not. Enjoy! I will hopefully be able to update more on time next week. :)_

**Worlds Fall Apart**

**Chapter 11-Shampoo's World**

As Ranma landed several feet away from where she had just been standing, she couldn't help but wonder how these sorts of things always happened to her. One second she was happily (well, maybe not HAPPILY, but at least relatively acceptable) out of Dr. Tofu's clinic, the next, a blur with an obvious intent to harm was flying at her. Ranma barely had time to see it out of her peripheral vision before she dove out of the way. _What on Earth was that_?she wondered. But her question was answered almost instantly when a second attack was launched, this time accompanied by an awfully familiar, "Ranma! I kill!"

She then dove out of the way of a flying bonbori thrown by a seemingly agitated Shampoo. She barely had time to think before the second one was thrown rather violently in her direction.

"Shampoo!" Ranma shouted as the furious Amazon lunged at her, "What the…"

"Die, Ranma!" Shampoo shouted, and pulled a sword off her back and lunged at Ranma. _Oh man! She's bringing out real weapons! What's going on?_ Ranma thought as she dodged again.

"Hey! C'mon, Shampoo! What'd I do?" Ranma said in confusion, dodging a swing of her sword and leaping over her head, managing to knock the sword from her hands as she did.

Shampoo didn't miss a beat, and she quickly picked up her dropped bonbori and began to swing violently at Ranma, who was sent into a quick backstep.

"Shampoo! C'mon! Quit it! Just tell me what I did!" Ranma said in desperation as she stumbled backwards.

"Die!" Shampoo said, and gave a hearty swing of her bonbori. Ranma jumped up, hands on some railing and caught the bonbori between her feet. She had to struggle to keep Shampoo from overpowering her, but she had to know why Shampoo suddenly decided she had to die.

"Look, just tell me what I did!" Ranma said.

"If Ranma girl, then Ranma must die!" Shampoo said, swinging at Ranma with her other hand.

"So, you're mad at me for being a girl then, is that it?" Ranma asked, ducking under the swing.

"No, not mad," Shampoo said, "Is not matter of anger, is matter of honor,"

"Honor…you mean…" Ranma said, beginning to understand.

"Shampoo give Ranma kiss of death," Shampoo explained, stopping her attacks only for a second, "Shampoo no kill because Ranma boy, so she marry instead. If Ranma no boy, Shampoo cannot marry, so Shampoo must kill!"

"Gee, I'd hate to be your ex-boyfriend," Ranma said sarcastically, then was forced again to dive out of the way.

"Die!"

Shampoo! Stop! Please!" Ranma said as she ran from the enraged Amazon.

"No stop until DEAD!" Shampoo shouted.

"So that's it, huh?" Ranma said, "If you can't marry me, then I have to die?"

"No can defeat Kiss of Death!" Shampoo shouted.

"I see how it is!" Ranma shouted, turning around to look Shampoo in the eyes as she launched herself onto a wall, "You never did love me in the first place, it was all rules with you, huh?"

Shampoo stopped, bonbori in mid air, and stared at Ranma from the ground. Her eyes got big and wet with tears as she stared at her, the face of a woman. She stared into Ranma's eyes, the eyes that still looked so like the eyes of the man she loved…eyes that would never again be attached to the handsome face of a fierce male warrior…eyes that now belonged to a beautiful young girl…a girl who Shampoo was required by law to kill, but whom Shampoo was doomed by fate to love.

"Ranma…" she whispered, then launched herself onto the wall, letting her weapons clatter to the floor as she wrapped her arms around Ranma and began to sob, "Wo ai ni!"

"S-shampoo…" Ranma breathlessly, thoroughly startled, and almost losing her balance, but then Shampoo pulled her tighter into her embrace, and Ranma wouldn't have been able to fall if she had wanted too.

"Ranma! Shampoo no can kill you! Shampoo love you!" Shampoo wailed, "I no care if you girl or boy, Shampoo love you anyway, Shampoo still be with you, Shampoo always be with you,"

"Wha? N-now hold on a minute," Ranma said, "I'm…I mean…I'm a girl now, Shampoo…and…and you're a girl…"

"Shampoo no care!" Shampoo wailed, clinging to Ranma.

"B-B-But…" Ranma started, then gave up, and simply slouched down, unable to free herself from Shampoo's death grip. _Oh great, as if I don't have enough problems…this is just like before, and I still don't know which is worse, having her try to kill me or kiss me…Now what am I gonna do?_

Finally, Shampoo freed herself from Ranma and looked up into her face. She brought herself close, way too close, too close for comfort, as she used to do to the male Ranma, and whispered, "Woda…Ranma…Shampoo must go now…"

"Okay," Ranma said, and Shampoo came close and kissed her on the cheek, then dropped her and ran off. Ranma stood there for a second, looking after her in bewilderment before she realized she had been about to lose her balance and was teetering rather dangerously on the edge of that wall.

"Woah! Woah! Woah no!" She said as she flailed uselessly and fell backwards. Luckily, her fall was rather conveniently broken by Ryoga who just happened to be passing by underneath.

"Hey Ryoga," Ranma said, "What'cha doing on the ground?"

Ryoga jumped up violently, sending Ranma flying into the air. Ranma flipped herself around and landed on the ground in front of him, but she lost her footing and stumbled backwards into the wall.

"Pathetic," Ryoga said, shaking his head at Ranma and continuing to walk along.

"Hey, you shut up!" Ranma said, "So I'm a little distracted! So what?"

"Yeah, well, I have a lot to distract me too, but you don't see me tripping over my own two feet," Ryoga said infuriatingly.

"Whatever it is that is bothering you can't _possibly_ be as serious as my problem," Ranma said, not realizing how rude she was being as she sunk back and leaned against the wall, thinking of Shampoo's latest…weirdness.

"What do you know!" Ryoga shouted, "You know, I am getting really tired of your high and mighty attitude. So you have some problems, so does everyone!"

"You would be upset too if you were magically dismembered!" Ranma shouted, "And if Akane wouldn't even talk to you, and Nabiki thought you were a dress up doll, and Shampoo…" She stopped and looked down.

"And what?" Ryoga wondered.

"Nothin'" Ranma said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Ryoga looked at Ranma then broke out into a huge grin, "Shampoo's…she's _still_ after you?

"I never said that," Ranma said gruffily.

"She is! Isn't she? Ha ha!" Ryoga laughed, almost manically.

"Look, it ain't funny! It was bad enough when I was a guy, but now I'm a girl, and I don't know how I feel about…that stuff yet…you know?" Ranma said.

Ryoga nodded, but then was unable to contain himself and burst out laughing.

"Shut up, Pig Boy!" Ranma said, but when Ryoga failed to contain his mirth, Ranma stood in a battle stance and said, "Man! I oughta toss you into the river and turn you into…er…a soaking wet…martial artist….heh heh,"

"What?" Ryoga said in confusion.

"Hi Ryoga," Akane said from behind him, and Ryoga nearly jumped a mile in the air. He had been so busy laughing he hadn't even heard her coming. He stopped laughing, mostly because Ranma had had the decency to keep his secret, even while he was laughing at his misfortune.

"Hi…Akane…" Ryoga said, blushing.

"I was just looking for you," she smiled, "I made some cookies and I was wondering if you maybe wanted some,"

"I…uhhh…sure…" Ryoga said, trying hard to look grateful and not terrified for his life.

"And Ranma…" Akane said, turning to Ranma and looking down awkwardly. Ranma straightened and looked at her in surprise. _Is she…speaking to me…?_ "I was wondering if…could we maybe talk later?"

"Wha…uhhh…sure," Ranma said bemusedly.

"Good," Akane said, then lifted her eyes a little, "I'll…see you later…"

"Uhhh…bye…" Ranma replied dumbly.

"Bye Ryoga," Akane said as she turned and walked off.

Ryoga and Ranma both stood there, mouths agape, staring at Akane's receding form.

"Great," Ryoga said in annoyance.

"Here," Ranma said, misinterpreting him and reaching to grab the sack of cookies and toss them into a nearby trash can.

"What do you think you're doing?" Ryoga said angrily.

"What? You wanna eat them?" Ranma asked raising an eyebrow. Ryoga just stared, so Ranma finished the toss.

"Well, thanks a lot," Ryoga said angrily and began to stalk off in a depression.

Ranma sighed, "Awww, man! Even when I don't do nothin' I do somethin' wrong! What's the matter now?"

"Just when Akane starts to notice me, you gotta swoop back in and take her for yourself!" Ryoga said angrily.

Ranma laughed, "What, you think I _want_ her? Besides, we're just gonna talk!"

"You don't want her?" Ryoga asked hopefully.

"I…no…" Ranma admitted, "Before everyone broke into the dojo that day…my mind reached clarity…I…I have no romantic feelings for Akane…I love her, but only as a friend…"

"Oh…" Ryoga said, unsure how else to respond. On one hand, he felt bad for Akane. On the other hand, he was glad to hear that because then that meant Akane's feelings for Ranma were unreciprocated, and then…_Maybe I have a…oh, come off it! Even if she ever did like me…would I even…_Ryoga shook his head to clear the thought. He was feeling more and more unsure about Akane as time went on…he couldn't help but worry that maybe she was only…habit…

"Yeah, you hear that, so if she really is starting to like you, she's all yours," Ranma said simply.

_Ranma also thinks Akane might be starting to notice me? I never said that to her, I wouldn't dare even venture to think that to myself…but if Ranma notices it…then maybe…_Ryoga thought.

"Well, I gotta head home, later P-Chan," Ranma said.

Ryoga stopped his thoughts in order to fume at Ranma and shout a variety of curses at her receding, still overly cocky form.

"What on EARTH is THIS?" Ranma said in confusion and annoyance as she walked into her room.

"I thought you might want your room to be a little, you know, more feminine, so I just added some little womanly touches," Nabiki said with a smile, "Don't worry, it's on me, I won't charge you, besides, it's mostly stuff I had lying around,"

Ranma stared in horror at the embroidered pink blanket folded on top of her futon, the dainty vase on the dresser filled with pink and white flowers, the poster of…she shuddered, a unicorn. It was so…_she has to be stopped…before she kills me…_Ranma thought desperately, but the smile on Nabiki's face was just so…she seemed so happy that…_But there is NO WAY I am living with this stuff!_

"Nabiki!" she said, trying hard to sound pleased, "It's…really nice of you…but…ummm…I have to share this room with Pop, you know, and well…he _really_ hates these kinds of things…and, I mean, I love it, but…"

"Oh…I see…" Nabiki said, "Well, I understand, your Father has a say in the decoration too, of course,"

Ranma nodded and wondered why on Earth she was being so damned polite. The old Ranma would have been ripping that poster to shreds by now!

"Yeah, I'm sorry…" Ranma said.

"No, problem!" Nabiki said with a smile, and Ranma breathed a sigh of pure relief as she moved to remove the "improvements".

"Here, I'll go put this blanket back in the closet," Ranma said, eager to remove the pink monstrosity from her room.

"Thanks!" Nabiki said, all smiles, as she left the room with poster and flowers in hand.

Ranma began walking into the hallway, and was just putting the folded blanket into the hall closet when she heard Kasumi say, "Oh, hello Shampoo!"

"Hiya! Ranma is home?" Shampoo's voice asked from the hall.

"Yes, she was just upstairs with Nabiki, go on up if you like," Kasumi said.

Shampoo thanked her and jogged up the stairs and into Ranma's room, but she was nowhere to be seen. She wandered through the halls, calling out to her, but to no avail. Ranma, of course, only heard this, as she was stuffed rather swiftly into the linen closet, praying that Shampoo wouldn't search too thoroughly.

"Ranma!" Shampoo called, "Ranma! You come out and date with Shampoo, hiya!"

"Shampoo!" Akane said, and Ranma held her breath as she realized that the two girls were standing right outside the closet.

"Akane!" Shampoo said, and Ranma could almost hear the tension in her voice. The two girls had been enemies for so long, all because of their rivalry over Ranma…she waited on pins and needles to see how this turned out.

"Are you looking for Ranma?" Akane said sweetly, "She just ran out, said she needed something from the store,"

_Alright Akane!_ Ranma thought happily.

"I go find then!" Shampoo said happily, and Ranma heard her burst out of the house. Possibly literally.

A second later, the door to the linen opened up, and Akane was looking in at Ranma who was suspended from the ceiling, expertly putting pressure on the edges to stay near the top.

"Hi," she said awkwardly.

"Hi," Ranma replied, and somehow, she knew that this was the beginning of a long conversation, one she hoped would solve all the problems between them.


	12. Friends

_Author's Note: Extra long chapter this week! For one thing, this is the natural break. For another, I am moving tomorrow, and then begins the wonderful shuffle of trying to find a job and take my stupid CPT to register for college and what not, so I may be a bit busy. Hopefully I will be able to spare enough time to post next week (so still remind me!) but I might be a day or tow late._

_Anyway, remember that pesky little hint I gave you about something going on no one has noticed…it's taken care of in this chapter. Enjoy!_

**Worlds Fall Apart**

**Chapter 12-Friends**

"So, Shampoo is still after you, huh?" Akane said with a twitch of her lips, then added much more quietly, "It looks like I just can't win, can I?"

"Awww, Akane, you know I'm not interested in that crazy Amazon!" Ranma said as she lowered herself to the ground. The two girls stood there awkwardly, Ranma with her hands shoved in her pockets and Akane with her hands folded across her front, nervously twiddling her fingers.

"Wanna, ummm…go up onto the roof where it's a little more private?" Akane asked.

Ranma nodded, and within minutes the two girls were up on the roof hugging their knees to their chest, even though it wasn't at all cold.

"Summer started today, you know," Akane said, "I talked to our teachers, and they agreed to let you move ahead to the next year since it was so late in the semester,"

"That's nice of them," Ranma said.

"But you will have to do some make up work and come in for a retake of the exams, she added.

Ranma grimaced, "That's not so nice…but thanks, Akane,"

"This is weird," Akane said after several moments of silence.

"I know, look, I'm sorry, but hey, maybe things'll get less awkward with time, ya' know? If we just tried bein' friends again…" Ranma started, but was interrupted by Akane.

She looked up at him with big, wet eyes and said sadly, "No…I just…it's just…I always thought that when I finally said this to you…you'd be a guy…"

Ranma looked at her in confusion wondering what on Earth she was getting at, and then, all of a sudden, without warning (well, without enough warning for Ranma's dense mind), Akane said, "I love you, Ranma,"

"You…wha?" Ranma managed to stutter out.

"At least…I did…" Akane said, looking sadly at her knees, "I loved you, I figured it out while you were unconscious, before Dr. Tofu told us all you were really…a…a girl,"

Ranma blinked at her, unsure of what to say or do, so she just stared and let Akane ramble on.

"Of course, now everything is all messed up and I don't know what to think or how I feel. I tried to convince myself I hated you because you were a pervert, but I couldn't because this isn't your fault and I know it, you didn't ask for this to happen anymore than I did…" Akane said, "So…I…I love you, okay? But…I don't know what to do about it because…you're a girl now…"

"Akane…I…I'm…" Ranma _really_ did not want to crush Akane like this, but…well, she couldn't handle _two_ people chasing after her through this, Shampoo was enough! So, she lowered her gaze and said, "I'm sorry…"

Ranma heard Akane take a sharp breath inwards, clearly trying not to cry, then she said, "Of course…I mean, you are going through a lot of stuff right now, and, I mean, the last thing you need is to start up a…a…"

"Akane," Ranma said, as gently as she could manage, "Even if I wasn't going through some stuff…I think…it's only fair to tell you that…I don't think I feel…I love you too, but only as a friend…I'm sorry, I'm _so_ sorry, please forgive me Akane, I am so sorry! And it's not that I love someone else, I swear, it's not that, of all the girls who were chasing after me, if I had loved any of them, it would have been you, Akane,"

"I…I understand…" Akane said, but didn't continue because two hands gripped the edge of the roof, and Ryoga pulled himself up.

"Hi Akane…and…Ranma…" he said, realizing too late that he must have interrupted something.

"What are you doing here?" Ranma asked a little snappily, "You weren't spyin' on us, were ya', you jerk?"

"Hey! Shut up, Ranma! I…" Ryoga began, getting into his battle stance.

"Calm down, Ranma, I asked him to come over," Akane said.

"You did," Ranma said, eyes narrowing, then a thought hit her, "When?"

"Earlier today, I thought he could use a nice home cooked meal, so I invited him over," Akane said, then turned to Ryoga, "Hey, I'm just going to go tell Kasumi you are here,"

"Okay," Ryoga said, and watched Akane's receding form as she climbed down from the roof. Once she was gone, Ranma leaned heavily into her knees and sighed.

"What's your problem?" Ryoga asked, not exactly kindly, but not unkind either.

"Akane…she just told me…" Ranma began, then decided she didn't want to hurt Ryoga's feelings because this news might cause him to get violent, so she just shook her head and said, "Ah, forget it,"

"She told you she loved you, huh?" Ryoga said, taking a seat next to Ranma.

"How'd you know?" Ranma asked, looking up in surprise.

Ryoga shrugged and then said, "So?"

"So…I told her the truth…" Ranma said, then when he saw the protective look on Ryoga's face she added, "Don't worry, I was nice about it,"

"So…" Ryoga said cautiously, "Nothing is going to…you know…happen with you two?"

"Nope, doesn't look like it," Ranma said, "She's all yours, pig boy, treat her right,"

Ryoga chose to ignore the last insult, a feat that was quite difficult for him usually, but a thought occurred to him, one vaguely disturbing and horribly uncomfortable, and he had no idea which answer he was looking for because they _both_ seemed wrong. "Do you…even…" Ryoga started, then lowered his voice, cheeks tinged with embarrassed red, "Like girls?"

Ranma looked up at him in surprise and practically squeaked, "Whazzat?"

"I mean, well, you know, you are a girl, but you were a guy, and when you were a guy, I always had the impression that you liked girls, but now you are a girl, and you have been a girl longer and it is normal for girls to like guys but I mean, I guess it's possible for you to be…you know…well, do you?" Ryoga said, his face turning redder and redder as he asked his somewhat friend this horribly awkward question and wondered why on Earth he had even brought it up.

"I…dunno…" Ranma said, "I haven't really thought about it…"

"Oh," Ryoga said, taking a breath, almost glad he hadn't gotten an answer. _Yes, Ranma is androgynous. If she had answered either way it would have been just…too weird…_

"Hey!" Ranma said, suddenly angry, as if she could hear what Ryoga was thinking, "If I do figure it out, then what? You're gonna think I'm a pervert no matter what I choose, ain't ya?"

"I never said that!" Ryoga protested.

"Yeah, but you were thinkin' it!" Ranma said angrily, and silently cursed Ryoga for bringing it up. She had been lucky enough not to think about it, and now it was going to be on her mind until she figured it out and, well, she was NOT happy about that.

"Well, whatever you choose is weird because if you decide you like girls, then you are a girl, and you are gay, but if you decide you like guys, then everyone who knew you as a guy will think you are gay. It's a tough fact!"

"Man, Ryoga, why don't you just shut up and butt outta my life, okay?" Ranma said miserably, not wanting to admit that he was pretty much right.

Ryoga rolled his eyes and said in exasperation, "I wasn't…I mean…augh! You are infuriating! Forget it!"

And the two sat on the roof for a second before Ryoga realized he didn't know why he was still there and stood up to leave. When Ranma made no move to follow, he turned around, ready to make some sarcastic comment to her.

"I'm not very hungry," Ranma said snappily, "Just tell Kasumi to save me a plate,"

Ryoga let out an annoyed breath and turned to walk away, but some sort of insanity took over his brain, and a sudden wave of guilt swept over him as he saw how disturbed Ranma was. _Man, I'm such a jerk…Ranma _is_ going through a lot, I guess I really shouldn't have thrown this at her too…Man…_

"Look, I'm sorry," Ryoga said, a little harshness in his voice, though it was not directed towards Ranma, but towards himself. Still he tried again, this time sounding much nicer, "Really, you don't need to worry about that yet, okay? Just…try to get used to yourself first, and worry about it when the time comes, alright?"

Ranma blinked at Ryoga. _Was he…being _nice _to me?_ She thought, then, before she could stop herself, she said, "Ryoga…meet me tomorrow, at three o'clock, at the fountain in the large park, okay?"

"What?" Ryoga asked, "Why?"

"Just be there, you big dope!" Ranma said, then turned away huffily with, "Now go on, leave me alone,"

Ryoga shook his head and was gone, leaving Ranma on the roof with her thoughts…her thoughts which had suddenly become infinitely more complicated…

* * *

Ranma checked her watch. 2:44. She swished her finger around in the fountain for a while and people watched. Then, she watch watched again. 2:54. And when she looked up, sure enough, she saw Ryoga walking towards her. _I thought so…_she said to herself with a grin. 

"Hey, you made it," she said.

"So, what did you want?" Ryoga asked suspiciously, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Take a few steps to the right," Ranma said, motioning with her hands.

"What? Why?" Ryoga asked in confusion.

"I wanna see something, just do it," Ranma said.

"Fine," Ryoga said, rolling his eyes, but nonetheless, taking a few steps to the right, "So what's this supposed to prove, huh?"

Ranma nodded, then with a loud yell, dove at him, and kicked Ryoga hard in the chest, sending him flying backwards and into the fountain.

A second later, he surfaced and angrily spluttered, "What the…Ranma! What the hell do you think you're doing? How dare you! What was that for!"

Ranma stared, eyed wide, and said in confusion, "You're not…you didn't…"

Ryoga stopped yelling and looked down at his body. _HIS_ body. Not the body of a small, black piglet, but _his_ body! The body of a sixteen year old boy! "I'm a…I'm a…I didn't…I…" Ryoga stammered, unable to put intelligent words to his thoughts.

"You found a cure?" Ranma asked.

"No…"

"You used that Chinese Soap?"

"No…"

"Well, how'd you do it? Come on!" Ranma said impatiently.

"I…dunno…" Ryoga said slowly, still unable to process what this meant.

"And what about your sense of direction?" Ranma asked, putting her hands on her hips, "How did you fix that, huh?"

"Fix it?" Ryoga asked, looking up in bewilderment at Ranma.

Ranma held up her hand and started ticking off on her fingers, "You met me here on time, you got to the Tendo Dojo on time last night, you managed to get me to Ukyo's a few weeks ago when I collapsed, and aside from all that, you're still here, in Nerima,"

"You're…right…" Ryoga said, "Oh my Gods…you're right!"

Suddenly, he jumped up and took off running.

"Hey, where're you going?" Ranma shouted, then shrugged and sat back down. _So…Ryoga is cured…_she thought, not happily or angrily or anything, she just thought it, plain and simple. _Ryoga is cured…_

_

* * *

_  
Meanwhile, Ryoga didn't stop running until he got to where he was going, and only stopped outside for a second to amaze at the fact that he _had_ gotten where he was going. Then, he burst in through the doors and shouted, "Dr. Tofu! Dr. Tofu!"

"Yes? What is it?" Dr. Tofu said as Ryoga stormed into his office, and when he saw how heavily the Hibiki boy was breathing and how flustered he was, he stood up and added, "What's the matter? Is everything all right?"

"My curse! It's gone! And my sense of direction! It's cured!" Ryoga said, "W-what happened? Is it going to stay this way? I don't think I could take it if I got all happy and it wasn't permanent, that's happened too many times, and I don't think I could take it anymore,"

"Woah, woah!" Dr. Tofu said, laughing, "Come on in, I'll take a look at you, see if I can't figure out what happened,"

Ryoga followed Dr. Tofu anxiously and waited for him to go over him, eagerly answering all his questions.

"So, do you know what it is? What happened? Why are the curses gone? Are they gone for good?" Ryoga asked, and Dr. Tofu laughed a little awkwardly. He didn't want to have to break it to the boy that he had no idea why they had disappeared or whether they would stay gone, he had never seen him so happy before, he had always been so depressed about everything…_wait a minute…_

Dr. Tofu suddenly stopped laughing and went over to his bookshelf, pulling off the same large book that had contained the spell he had used on Ranma. He ran his finger down the page whispering to himself, then said, "Aha! Found it! The giver of this ingredient will be bound forever to the subject by a strong bond. The sacrificer must understand that to sacrifice his blood will bring him both terrible pain and immense happiness, that's it!"

"What?" Ryoga said.

Dr. Tofu shut the book and said, "I had been so wrapped up in Ranma's problem that I didn't even take a minute to wonder about that! This must be a side effect from the spell! Remember when I warned you about the great pain, and you experienced that as soon as the spell took place. I didn't even stop to wonder what the great happiness was!"

"You mean…it must be this? The great happiness is that I am cured?" Ryoga asked, running his hands on his chest as if feeling to be sure he was real, his body was actually there, there was no trace whatsoever of a pigs body.

"I'd guess so," Dr. Tofu said, smiling for real this time, "Congratulations!"

Ryoga's eyes filled with tears of joy, and he realized he just…didn't know what to do with himself. He had dreamed for so long of getting rid of his Jusenkyo curse, but he had never even dreamed of getting rid of his bad sense of direction. He hadn't even now that _was_ a curse!

"This is…the happiest day…of my life…" Ryoga said simply and honestly.

* * *

Ryoga walked…no, sauntered. This was a sauntering kind of day. Ryoga sauntered along, whistling to himself, tapping the fence as he went by. He knew if he ran into anyone, they would be quite frightened by this change of character. He wasn't exactly known as the type who whistled or, well, smiled without good reason. But _this_ was good reason. Oh, yes, for the first time in over a year, Ryoga wasn't looking over his shoulder, expecting someone to throw water at him, sending him into a terrible hell in which he was a small black piglet and people either wanted to eat him or… 

"How's it goin', Ryoga?" Ranma said from her position on top of Ryoga's head.

Normally, Ryoga would have angrily shaken Ranma off, screamed, "Prepare to die!" and his whole day would have been ruined. But not today. Today, he just chuckled and stood up straight to gently shake Ranma off of him. No, he was in far too good a mood to let anything bother him. Nothing could bring him down!

"So, you ain't gonna turn into P-Chan anymore, huh?" Ranma said as she walked alongside him.

"Looks like no," Ryoga said, the hugest, silliest grin spreading across his face.

"So, I guess you won't be able to sleep in the same bed with Akane anymore, huh?" Ranma said insinuatingly, obviously trying to piss Ryoga off.

But it didn't work, Ryoga just shrugged and said, "Who cares,"

"Who cares?" Ranma asked in shock, then jumped in front of Ryoga and put on a ridiculously girly face and teased, "But I thought you luuuuurved her! I thought you'd do _anything_ to be by her side!"

Ryoga smiled and flicked his hair out of his eyes, then he answered, "Yeah, well things change,"

"What?" Ranma asked, stopping short. A world where Ryoga wasn't pathetically in love with Akane was a world she was not ready to fathom. "You mean…you don't…love Akane anymore?"

"I never said that," Ryoga answered, "I'm just…not as pathetic about it as I used to be, okay?"

"Well, that's for sure," Ranma said, staring at Ryoga in surprise.

Ryoga ignored his last remark and continued walking, Ranma at his side, neither of them saying anything. Suddenly, the silence became unbearable, and Ranma said, not stopping to think about her words, "How nice for you. You get cured and don't even have to become a girl to do it…"

"What?" Ryoga asked, stopping to look at Ranma.

Ranma looked up, realizing what she had said and the potential this had for invoking a "serious conversation". Ryoga had "that look" in his eyes, the one that said his brain was working, he was thinking, he was comprehending things that frankly, Ranma would rather he didn't understand. "Nothin'" Ranma said hopelessly.

"Ranma…are you…_jealous_ of _me?_" Ryoga asked in surprise.

"Why would I be jealous of a jerk like you?" Ranma said angrily, stuffing her hands in her pockets.

"You are!" Ryoga said, a smile spreading across his face despite himself. He felt a little bad rubbing this in Ranma face, but then…he had waited _so long_ for this day! The day that he was the one with the incredible luck, the amazing life, the day that Ranma Saotome was jealous of _him_!

"Don't be a moron, no I'm not," Ranma said angrily.

"You are! You totally are!" Ryoga said, smiling wider.

"Shut up! I am not! What's there to be jealous of, huh? I mean…I don't have a curse anymore either, remember," Ranma said, knowing full well it was _not_ the same, but needing to say something.

"Yeah, but you're a girl now!" Ryoga said before he could stop himself.

Ranma stepped back as if she had been slapped, then looked at the ground and said, "Way to rub it in, man,"

Ryoga grimaced. He really hadn't meant to do that. "Hey, look, it's okay…I mean, things can only get better, right?"

"Whatever," Ranma said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Come on! I mean, things are getting easier for you every day, right? And, I mean, your list of suitors and enemies has gotten a lot smaller, right? That's something!" Ryoga said encouragingly.

"Why are you trying to cheer me up?" Ranma asked, "I thought you'd be happy to see me all down and beaten. I mean, you hate me, remember?"

Now it was Ryoga's turn to be shaken. He had to admit, he _had_ hated Ranma, and as happy as he was to finally be free of his misfortune, he wasn't happy to see Ranma like this. As much as he couldn't deny he enjoyed being the "lucky" one, he enjoyed it for his fortune and not because of Ranma's misfortune. What had happened? This wasn't right! Looking down at Ranma who was so upset, he realized he wasn't looking down happily at the misfortune of an enemy. He wasn't even looking down at her misfortune with two minds, like he had when he had labeled him and Ranma rivals. No…he genuinely cared that Ranma was upset, and wanted to say something to make it better. That is not what rivals do…that is what friends do.

Ryoga took a deep breath as he finally squared with the fact that he and Ranma Saotome were…friends. Not enemies, not rivals…friends. Then, he put his hand on her shoulder, and when she looked up into his face in confusion, he smiled at her and said, "Yeah, well, things change,"


	13. Balancing Act

_Author's Note: Sorry this is a little late guys, I just moved and have been trying to find a job and stuff. I actually found two jobs, so yay! I just hope it isn't too much, ya know? Two jobs and school…we'll see how this goes. :)_

_Well, you know the drill! Send me messages to remind me to update and stuff. :) Enjoy!_

**Worlds Fall Apart**

**Chapter 13-Balancing Act**

_**(3 months later)**_

"RAAAAAANMAAAAAAA!" came the furious yell from several blocks behind. But Ranma was already running, as fast as her legs would carry her, towards the school. Her sanctuary. Well, sort of. Sure, school meant she'd have to deal with all the kids and their rumors, the angry glares of a few of the girls in the changing room who refused to accept she was actually a girl, no matter how many times she swore she wasn't looking at them. She'd have to deal with Kuno who was ecstatic that his pig tailed goddess had enrolled in his high school. She'd have to deal with that lunatic Kodachi who seemed to believe the girl Ranma was responsible for the sudden disappearance of her beloved. Well, technically, she was right, but still…

She'd have to deal with the horribly embarrassing prospect of Shampoo showing up and glomping her in front of everybody which would undoubtedly call for a variety of hoots and leers from the guys, and the beginning of yet another rumor concerning Ranma and her sexuality, a rumor which she still wasn't sure how to dispel as she still wasn't sure if it was correct or not.

True, school may hold all those things, and as aggravating or irksome as they were, they were not nearly as frightening as the prospect of facing Akane's cooking. And if she were caught, that is surely the fate that awaited her.

Ranma turned to look behind her, and in doing so didn't notice Ryoga wandering in front of the school carrying a sack of groceries until it was too late and they had both toppled over.

"Hey, Ryoga, how's it goin'?" Ranma asked, then added jokingly from her position sitting on his back with him looking quite pained underneath her, "What'cha doin' on the floor?"

Ryoga jumped up quickly, sending Ranma into the air, and she landed easily on the fence, but quickly lost her balance and toppled off and into the water. Of course, Ryoga was unable to contain his laughter, and only stopped once Akane appeared on the scene.

"Ryoga! H-hi…" she said, smiling sweetly, "What's so funny?"

"Oh, hey Akane," Ryoga said, bending to pick up his spilled groceries.

"What's so funny?" Akane asked again.

"Oh, nothing," Ryoga said.

"Hey, have you seen Ranma?" Akane asked, looking around her.

"Oh, yeah, she just ran into the school," Ryoga said, "Knocked my groceries out of my hands too,"

"Thanks," Akane said, then before running off, she said, "So, I'll see you later?"

"Yeah, sure," Ryoga said.

"Ummm…" Akane started, then added, "I was thinking of catching the latest movie after school with Nabiki…did you want to come?"

Ryoga shrugged, "Sure…wait, it's not a chic flick, is it?"

"No," Akane laughed, "A comedy,"

"Okay, good," Ryoga said, then waved at Akane as she ran into the school. A moment later, a sopping wet Ranma was climbing over the fence and wringing out her red Chinese shirt.

"Thanks man," she said, "That was a close one,"

"I assume it had something to do with her cooking?" Ryoga said.

"How'd you guess," Ranma replied, rolling her eyes and wringing out her pants.

"It always has something to do with her cooking," Ryoga said.

"At least she didn't try and get you to try any of it, you got off lucky this time," Ranma said, referring to the fact that Akane had recently been inflicting her latest cooking endeavor on poor Ryoga more and more often, "But I suppose it's because she was busy asking you out on a daaaaate," Ranma said this last bit with an infuriating flutter of her eyelashes and a sweet, mocking tone.

"Don't be an idiot!" Ryoga said, shoving her gently, but still hard enough that she got up close and personal with the fence, "Nabiki's coming, it's not a date. Besides, we hang out all the time,"

"Yeah, what's up with that, anyway?" Ranma asked with genuine curiosity, "You two _have_ been hanging out a lot recently"

"What, are you jealous?" Ryoga teased.

"Of you and Akane?" Ranma spat, "As if!"

"Well, she's just been wanting to do more stuff since she finally got over you," Ryoga said.

"Yeah, I'm glad," Ranma agreed, "Thing's are a lot less…awkward without her sighing and staring at me as if her heart were breaking and her world were ending,"

"You are so insensitive!" Ryoga said, shaking his head in disappointment.

"Am not! Just think how weird it was for me! It's bad enough with Shampoo following me everywhere!" Ranma said, then added, "Anyway, she may be doing things, but she is inviting you, not me. I'm not sure she forgives me for becoming a girl yet,"

Ryoga shrugged, then said, "That's just because you were busy running from her. You can probably come if you want,"

Ranma shrugged, then, as she heard the bell ring in the distance she said, "We'll see, I gotta run! Later!"

And Ranma vaulted herself over the school fence and into the school yard, but didn't make it a total of two feet before she caught a small object flying at her through the air. It was a red rose, and she knew exactly where it had come from.

"Let us unite and become one, fair princess, les your valuable years of inestimable beauty fade as the setting sun into night," said Kuno dramatically.

Ranma sighed, "Man, don't you ever try anything new?"

"Come to me, my love!" Kuno said, and ran at Ranma, arms outstretched.

Ranma swiftly kicked him in the face.

"Your robust beauty is surpassed only by my love for you!" Kuno exclaimed, rubbing his sore face, "Come, I will date with you and win your stubborn heart!"

"You wish!" Ranma said, and jumped off Kuno's head, letting his rose drop as she ran off, "I'm late for class, leave me alone!"

Ranma broke for the doors, hoping all this mornings distractions were done with, but she had to know better than that. Her next obstacle was found at her locker, in the form of a furry pink mirror. Ranma saw her own horrified and disgusted face looking back at her, and the mirror was removed to show a smiling Nabiki. _Doesn't this girl EVER quit! If she's not trying to get me to cut my hair or wear a dress or shave my legs, she's throwing flowers and furry pink things at me! Oh man! And at school now? This is so embarrassing! I have GOT to find a way to stop her!_ Ranma thought, but what she said was, "Nabiki! Hi…what's this?"

"It's a present for you!" Nabiki said, "What do you think?"

_Aw crap! _Ranma thought, _A present? Now I gotta take it!_ Ranma tried hard to smile, though it was probably the most painful thing she had ever done, and said, "It's…pink…"

"Yeah, and furry! Isn't it the cutest thing?" Nabiki said.

"Well, I guess…" Ranma said, running over every definition of cute she could think of to be sure she wasn't lying.

Nabiki handed it to her, and Ranma stared at it, then finally worked up the gaul to say, "Listen…Nabiki…I _really_ appreciate it, but…pink really isn't my color…you know?"

"Oh, right, of course…" Nabiki said, but before Ranma had a chance to apologize profusely for shoving her gift back at her and breaking her heart, she pulled out yet another mirror and handed it to Ranma, "Here, I have a purple one too! I'll keep the pink one in my locker,"

Ranma sighed, and then took the purple thing and put it inside her locker. _At least purple is better than pink_, she thought. And then she made her way through the crowded halls and into her classroom where, surely, there had to be several hours of peace…even if that did mean paying attention in class.

"Ranma! How dare you drag along my poor Shampoo!" came Mousse's furious yell from down the street, and before he was within fifty yards, a long length of chain was sent flying Ranma's way. Ranma dove out of the way.

"Mousse!" she said. _I can't believe I'm thinking this, but doesn't he have a problem beating up girls?_ Ranma thought in annoyance, _Probably comes from living with a bunch of Amazons…_

"Ranma! You pervert! Have you no shame? Even though you are a woman, you STILL chase after Shampoo!" Mousse accused.

"Aww, c'mon! I ain't chasin' after nobody! Shampoo is the one chasin' after me!" Ranma explained uselessly, but Mousse refused to listen and they engaged in their almost daily fight over Shampoo, one that was thoroughly pointless, as it had always been…but would Mousse listen, Nooo!

"Bewitching her! Tricking her! Fooling her with your lies and deceptions!" Mousse said, "You are shameless!"

"I have no interest in her, how many times do I gotta tell ya' that?" Ranma said as she dove out of the way, but she faltered and got a rather hard blow in the side.

"Mousse, quit fooling around and make your delivery!" said a crackled voice all of a sudden.

Mousse stopped fighting and shouted over his shoulder, "We'll finish this later, Ranma!"

"Hey, thanks Old Ghoul," Ranma said as she stood and dusted herself off.

Cologne, who had decided to let the whole Kiss of Death slide just this once on account of Shampoo's plea's, the confusion of the situation, and a not openly admitted affection for the youngster, poked Ranma in the side with her stick. Ranma blanched and grasped her side in pain. "Whadd'ya do that for?" Ranma demanded.

"You're sloppy, Son In Law," Cologne said, habit forcing her to use her old nickname.

"Shut up! What do you know anyway!" Ranma said angrily.

"I know martial arts," she said, coming close to Ranma's face, "And I know when a martial artist is being sloppy. You aren't as good as you once were…shame…"

"Hey, I could still take you on any time any where!" Ranma shouted, and got into fighting stance, but Cologne simply bounced off on her stick and said, "Sorry, Son In Law, I have work to do,"

Ranma growled and rubbed her sore side. _Damnit! The Ghoul is right…I'm not as good as I used to be…as good as I was when I was a boy…_Ranma grimaced. She had been suspecting this for quite a while, but couldn't bring herself to accept the fact. She was still too busy trying to get used to her newfound female nature, and she didn't think she was ready to face any of the negative consequences of that just yet. But now, there was no more avoiding it. She had to admit it. She was sloppy. Something had happened, and Ranma was not the martial artist she once was. Unfortunately, this had put her into a rather sour mood, so when she walked into the Tendo Dojo, she was not the easiest person to get along with.

"Hey, how are you doing, boy?" Genma said heartily. Slowly, he had begun speaking to Ranma again, but he seemed to be in a state of denial. Of course, that couldn't last forever, dense and stubborn as the old man was. Ranma saw him, on occasion, staring at her, sadly, strangely, confusedly. She sometimes saw her father regaining memories of her, though he never admitted it. Like Ryoga. Ranma supposed that they felt too weird openly admitting that they were beginning to see Ranma as a girl. Well, Pop anyway. Ryoga would always see Ranma as a boy.

But Pop, Ranma had grown up with him, as his daughter. Thing's hadn't been too different, he was still just as hard on her then as he was when she had been a guy. Only, she had been a little girl, and not a little boy. But Genma didn't acknowledge that at all, he continued to call Ranma "M'boy!" and to even refer to her as his son and even called Akane her fiancé, despite the fact that they had mutually agreed to end the engagement. Usually, Ranma simply put up with it, figuring she had too much on her mind to deal with Pop and his shenanigans, and he'd get over it eventually, but today was not a good day.

"Would you quit callin' me that, Pop?" Ranma said sourly, "I'm a girl, not a boy! Get used to it, everyone else has!"

Genma started and looked as if he'd been slapped, and almost as if he wanted to say something, but Ranma wasn't about to deal with him then, so she just kicked a bucket of water at him and turned him into a Panda. _There, that oughta keep him quiet…_she thought, rather pleased with herself and admittedly feeling much better.

"Ranma?" said a voice, and Ranma nearly had a heart attack. It was Akane. She didn't sound angry, but she had been last time she checked, and _Aw man! I can't keep up!_

"Akane!" Ranma said, "Hi! Uhhh…how's it goin'? Look, sorry I ran off this morning before trying your…uhhh…omelet…but, I was, you know, afraid I was gonna be…"

"That's okay, it turned out awful anyway," Akane said, "Look, I'm going to the movies with Nabiki and Ryoga, wanna come?"

Ranma felt her insides tense up a bit. Akane was…inviting her? Does this mean…okay, that's going a step too far, but it definitely meant that her and Akane were really, finally starting to patch things up! Ranma dreamily thought of a world in which Akane and her were great pals and they never fought and Akane tried her cooking before inflicting it on other people…

"Ranma?" Akane said.

"Oh, sure! I'd love to!" Ranma said happily, coming back to herself.

Akane smiled, "Great,"

Ranma grinned wider. Suddenly her day just seemed so much brighter.

"I don't know," Akane said, "It seemed a little overdramatic at times,"

"Are you kidding? It was pure genius!" Ryoga replied.

"Well, yeah, I guess you're right," Akane said, "It was pretty genius,"

"Yeah! And did you see that fighting scene?" Ranma asked, "Man, was that awesome or what?"

"It was pretty awesome," Ryoga agreed, then asked nonchalantly, "So, now what?

"Well, I really need to get home and do some homework," Akane said.

"Me too," Nabiki agreed, "I really need to catch up on my finances, the fiscal year will be ending soon,"

"Sure, whatever," Ranma said, folding her arms behind her head.

"You coming, Ranma?" Akane asked.

"Nah," she replied, kicking absentmindedly at a rock.

"But don't you have homework?" Nabiki said.

Ranma shrugged, "I'll do it later," She waved to Nabiki and Akane as they headed off. She _did_ have a bit of homework to do, but she was certainly not _actually _planning on doing it, even if she was at home. But she had another reason for wanting to stay behind. Once they were gone and out of site, she lunged at Ryoga, kicking him hard in the chest.

"Hey, what the? What was that for?" Ryoga asked, startled.

Ranma jumped again, but this time Ryoga dodged, "Spar with me,"

"What? Why?" Ryoga asked in confusion.

"Just do it," Ranma said, and the two of them fought for several minutes before Ryoga finally managed to nail Ranma with a whack of his umbrella, sending her flying into a nearby wall. Ranma groaned as she sat back up.

"You okay?" Ryoga said, still unsure what he was fighting her for, also wincing slightly as he thought of a particular memory he had gotten shortly after Ranma had discovered she was a girl. He still didn't want to admit he was having these memories, especially now because he quickly figured out what was on Ranma's mind.

"Damnit," Ranma said, climbing to her feet, "The Old Ghoul is right,"

"What are you talking about?" Ryoga asked nonetheless. He knew where this was going, and quickly tried to figure out how to get out of this conversation unscathed.

Ranma made her way over to a bench and sat down, putting her head in her hands and groaning in aggravation and general despair.

"What's wrong?" Ryoga asked again.

"Ryoga, I suck," Ranma said.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Ryoga said, "So I beat you once, big deal,"

"No, I suck at martial arts," Ranma said.

"WHAT! Are you crazy? This from the person who defeated a 300 year old Amazon Warrior?" Ryoga said, even though he had expected this, he was genuinely surprised to hear something so ridiculous from Ranma. As much as he hated to admit it, he knew he would never be as good as his friend, and now that she was a girl, it was even more humiliating. But he had to admit, she _had_ been…well, she didn't suck, but she wasn't at top form. "You don't suck," Ryoga confirmed.

"Yeah, but I'm not as good as I used to be," Ranma said miserably, "Mousse can actually hit me, you beat me sometimes, Shampoo is faster than me! Augh! This sucks! I suck! What good am I if I'm not a great martial artist?"

"Hey, you're plenty good," Ryoga said, "Besides, I think I know what your problem is,"

"You do?" Ranma asked hopefully, looking up at him.

"Uh huh, I've been noticing it for a while, actually," Ryoga said sheepishly, "It's your balance,"

"My balance?"

"Yep, you are off balance, probably because of the…erm…you know, changes in your…body," Ryoga said with some difficulty, "You were never as good as a girl, but you never spent too much time as one so it never was an issue,"

"Well, what am I supposed to do?" Ranma asked, then, suddenly, her eyes widened. Wait a minute…hadn't Ryoga always had great balance? Now that Ranma thought about it, she had rarely seen him lose his balance, and he definitely knew what it was like to have to get used to balancing between cursed forms! "Hey, I know! You can train me!" Ranma said excitedly.

"What?" Ryoga asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You got great balance, right?" Ranma said, "And who knows my fighting style better than you on account of we used to spar all the time! Come on! You gotta help me man, please!"

"When did we used to spar? I only remember me trying to kill you," Ryoga said jokingly, even though he knew full well they had sparred in middle school. He still didn't feel…right…admitting to Ranma that he was remembering him as a girl. Not after swearing that he would always see her as a guy.

Ranma gave him a look and Ryoga couldn't help but know that he was caught in the lie, somehow Ranma knew. He didn't know how, but still, to change the subject he said, "Well, sure, I guess I could do that,"

"Alright! Thanks man! Thanks so much!" Ranma said happily.

"You'll have to take a few days off of school, we'll need to go into the mountains," Ryoga said, "Part of good balance is the ability to detach yourself from your surroundings, so the best place to start is in a detached place, then work your way up,"

"Sure, whatever you say, teach!" Ranma said, positively beaming at the prospect of being back up to par, being, once again, the greatest martial artist around by a ludicrously wide margin…except for the ghoul and Happosai, but they didn't count, they shouldn't even be alive anymore. Yes…soon, Ranma Saotome, martial artist extraordinaire would be back!


	14. Secrets Part 1

_Author's Note: Hey everyone! I am SO sorry this is so late, there was some kind of funky problem with with the document uploader. It wouldn't let me upload the next chapter! . Anyway, it is working now, but just in case it is only temporary, I uploaded the next three chapters (but don't get too excited, I am still going to post once a week! ;) They are only on there"just in case")._

_  
Thanks so much for everyone who is reminding me to update! It is great because it 1.) Helps me remember, especially now that I am oober busy with two jobs and school, and 2.) Makes me happy because it means people care enough about my story to send me messages to update! And as always, thanks for all the comments! D  
_

_So, sorry once again about the wait! Hopefully it wont happen again. But, for your troubles, this chapter is EXTRA LONG this week! (That happened by accident, but I can pretend I did it on purpose, right? ) We left off just as Ranma and Ryoga had decided to go on a training mission in the woods to work on her balance...what wacky adventures await our little chaos magnets there, eh? Enjoy!_**  
**

**Worlds Fall Apart**

**Chapter 14**

**Secrets (Part 1)**

Ranma looked around her room once more, nodded, and said, "I think I've got everything I need,"

"Here," Nabiki said, handing her a brush.

"What do I need this for?" Ranma asked in confusion.

"You know, some girls _do_ brush their hair," Nabiki chided.

"I'm going on a _training mission_, Nabiki!" Ranma said, "I ain't gonna need to look all pretty, it's just Ryoga, geez," Ranma tossed back the brush and tied off her bag with a grin. She was so excited about going on a training mission again! She had missed it so much, she usually went with her Dad every month or so, but lately, he'd been a bit too odd around her. She was starved for a few days in the woods, sleeping in a tent on the ground, right next to the Earth. Bonfire cooked food, even if she wasn't that great a cook. Anything tasted good over a bonfire.

"Oh, Ranma!" Kasumi said, having just appeared in the doorway a second before, "Are you sure that's wise?"

"What?" Ranma asked, completely confused.

"Going on a training mission with…a boy," Kasumi said, lowering her voice as if even mentioning it was a scandal, "Isn't it a little…inappropriate?"

"What? Nah! Of course not!" Ranma said, "It's Ryoga, he doesn't even think of me as a girl. Besides, even if he _did_ try something, I'd just beat him up!"

"Anyway, Ranma doesn't even know if she _likes_ boys," Nabiki said bluntly, causing Ranma to turn a little red at the reminder, "So we don't even know if there _is_ anything to worry about,"

"Thanks for reminding me, Nabiki," Ranma said, "And could ya' not broadcast that to the whole world, I don't want everyone trying to talk to me about it, ya' now? I wouldn't know what to tell them,"

"Sure, whatever," Nabiki said, then sarcastically said with a wave of her hand, "Well, have fun running around through the woods for the next several days, no shower, no running water, having to start your own fires and stuff,"

"I will! Thanks!" Ranma said enthusiastically, Nabiki' sarcasm totally lost on her. Ranma heard Ryoga call from down in the foyer, so she shouldered her bag and said, "Gotta run, I'll be back in a few days!"

The Tendo family stood at the door as Ranma and Ryoga walked off, heading in the direction of the mountains. They were joined a second later by Genma.

"Where's the boy going?" he asked.

"Don't you mean 'the girl'?" Akane said sourly, "_She's_ going on a training mission with Ryoga. _She's_ really looking forward to it, you know, on account of you would never take your _daughter_ with you on a training mission, _she_ hasn't gotten to go on one in a while,"

Akane turned huffily and left the room, more to make a point than anything, leaving a startled Genma standing in the foyer looking sadly at his son…his…_daughter's_…retreating back, feeling pretty guilty over what Akane had just said to him.

"This should be good," Ryoga said suddenly, after him and Ranma had been walking for nearly six hours. They were in a wide-open glen with warm sunshine streaming through. It was at the base of the mountain with a clear, cool stream of water gushing gently past. It was quiet and serene save the rustling of the leaves as the wind blew through them. The ground was soft, yet firm, and the grass was thin and springy under Ranma's feet. She looked approvingly around at the scene and dropped her bag, listening to the gentle thud as it hit the ground. It was so still that even that light thump seemed to echo off the walls of the nearby mountain.

"Nice place," Ranma said.

"Yeah, this is perfect for training," Ryoga said, "I'd say we hit jackpot,"

"So, should we start?" Ranma asked jumping into battle stance.

"Let's set up camp first," Ryoga said with a laugh, so they began to unpack their bags and set up their small tents. It didn't seem likely to rain, the weather was so beautiful, so they just left the flaps open and rolled out their mats. They gathered some wood and set up their fire pit, so they wouldn't be bothered with doing it once it was dark. Within an hour, they were all set, and they still had a good amount of daylight left to train in.

They stretched out a bit, then they spent a good hour just sparring, getting themselves warmed up, getting their adrenaline pumping. Finally, Ryoga went over to the river and jumped out, landing on one of he tiny rocks in the middle of it. It was only really big enough for one of his feet, so he stood with the other one bent up to his knee. He motioned for Ranma to follow him, so she did, jumping onto one of the bigger rocks and firmly planting both of her feet onto it.

"No, stand on that one," Ryoga said, pointing to a much smaller rock., "Follow my lead,"

Ranma obeyed and bent her leg up towards her knee, then brought her arms up above her head gracefully.

"This is called Tree Pose," Ryoga said, "It's one of the basic poses for improving balance, it's fairly elementary,"

"Oh yeah?" Ranma said, swaying her hands to keep her balance, "Is it?"

"You are concentrating too much on your balance, Ranma" Ryoga said, "Pick an object around you, and focus on that, let the pose come as naturally as breathing. You cannot forget about it, you must concentrate on it, but not consciously,"

Ranma took a steadying breath and stared intently at a mossy rock in the flowing water. She wavered back and forth between paying too much attention to her balance and not quite enough, and she was getting a bit frustrated with how much she had let herself slip until she finally seemed able to maintain the pose.

"You don't actually need to _train_ you balance," Ryoga said, never taking his eyes off of a stone he was focusing on, "It used to be very good, you just need to tap back into it, remember your skill,"

"How do you know my balance used to be good?" Ranma asked, never taking her gaze off the rock.

Ryoga took a sharp breath, so quietly Ranma couldn't even hear it. He had been making more and more mistakes like that since these memories seemed to fill his mind more naturally, but he quickly, smoothly covered with, "Well, because you used to be a good martial artist, and if your balance were as crappy as it is now, then there's no way…"

But Ranma interrupted him, this time looking up, "How do you know I used to be a good martial artist?"

Ryoga looked up also, and he said slyly, "Are you saying you weren't?"

"No!" Ranma said, "I just meant…ah…ah…Ah crap!" And with that she lost her balance and fell face first into the water.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Ranma," Ryoga said, grateful for the distraction, "Stay focused. You need to focus on your balance with the back of your mind, you need to train yourself to think of it as second nature,"

Ranma surfaced, spluttering, and glared at Ryoga, "Aw man! You distracted me! That doesn't count!"

"Well, you need to learn not to be distracted, or if you are, not to let yourself get out of balance because of it," Ryoga said cockily, not even swaying from his place on the rock.

Ranma grumbled and swam to the edge of the water, pulling herself out of it. She shook herself off once she had gotten back onto dry land, and then started to unbutton her Chinese shirt, which was dripping with water. She slid it off her back so she could wring it out, but before she got that far, she heard a splash behind her. She turned around just as Ryoga surfaced. He shook his head, spluttered, stared at Ranma, then looked away, turning quite red as he swam to climb out of the water.

"What's wrong, Ryoga?" Ranma teased, "Did you get _distracted_?" She batted her eyes at him, just to be infuriating because she knew full well what had distracted him. Ryoga had never been very comfortable around girls or with girls bodies, and as much as he might think of Ranma as a guy, her body was still very much female. Of course, she had forgotten since she had never exactly had what Akane called 'feminine modesty'. Besides, she was wearing a sports bra, so she figured it'd be okay, but she had forgotten that Ryoga didn't know that. _Ha ha! I bet I just gave the poor sap a heart attack!_ Ranma laughed.

Ryoga climbed out of the water, grumbling a bit, and still blushing. Ranma wrung out her shirt, then went over to her pack and pulled out a dry black undershirt and pulled it over her. She walked back to the edge of the water and said, "Alright, lets go again,"

"Why did you put on a dry shirt?" Ryoga asked, "What if you fall in the water again?"

Ranma jumped out onto the rock, fixed her gaze on a mossy stone, and said determinedly, "I won't".

Ryoga stared intently at a tree, but he was not seeing it. He was maintaining his balance because, despite the fact that he couldn't control his temper, his voice when girls were around, or his mouth when any opportunity arose in which he could stick his foot into it, he _was_ able to control his balance. So while he stood still on that rock, not wavering or even feeling the tiniest bit of strain, his mind raced. _Man, my heart is still beating a mile a minute, what the hell was Ranma thinking? Just taking off her shirt like that! I mean, it was bad enough when she did that when she was a guy, but now…now it's actually _her_ body! But…I guess…I guess she figured it was okay because she had a bra on…and what is up with that? She was wearing a bra? Ranma Saotome was wearing a bra! AUGH! I cannot even begin to wrap my mind around the concept that my ex rival was wearing a bra. I mean, as far as I could see it wasn't a lacy bra or anything, but still. It was a bra. _

Ryoga chanced to glance up at Ranma. She was wavering a bit, but she seemed to have her balance basically under control. She was doing a lot better than she had been a few minutes before. Ryoga's face flushed and he looked down. It was getting harder and harder for him to think of Ranma as a guy. The memories were coming more and more often, Now, Ranma didn't even need to be around. They seemed to be integrating with his other memories so he could hardly tell which were which anymore. He could barely remember to lie about them anymore, they seemed so natural, so real.

Finally, he shook his head, and looked up at the sun. It was beginning to set, and that meant they had been on those rocks for quite a bit. He jumped off and onto the shore, quickly followed by Ranma. He stretched out his tense leg a bit, and then wordlessly wandered back to the campsite. Ranma began to get out some food supplies. Ryoga started working on the fire, and Ranma stood by and helped by tossing dried leaves and twigs on as kindling.

"Hand me some more dried leaves, would ya'? Ryoga said as he blew on the base of the flame.

Ranma nodded and gathered some more leaves from the pile, as she handed them to Ryoga, her hand brushed lightly against his, and she noticed that Ryoga instantly froze, just as Ukyo and her Pop and she herself did every time they were struck with a case of memory lane.

Ryoga felt strange, numb. He wasn't sure if he was angry, sad, nervous, shocked…he was just…numb. He saw nothing, but he smelled…it smelled like floor polish. He heard the echoing sound of young kids stampeding through a small, enclosed space…like in a hallway. He felt someone run into his left side, and then he felt a small, warm hand brush against his hand. It was the same hand that had brushed against his hand just then, Ranma's hand. But there was something else…there was something in his hand, and then there wasn't. It was gone as soon as the feeling of Ranma's hand left his…what was it…

"Paper…" he heard himself whisper involuntarily, and he opened his eyes. He was back in reality, in the woods, on a training mission with Ranma.

"What?" Ranma said, aware that he had just had another memory. Only, she hadn't shared this one, so she had no idea what he was talking about.

Ryoga shook himself and said quickly, "I said I bet this would be easier if we had paper, it makes good kindling. Do you have any?"

"No, sorry," Ranma said, sounding a little frustrated. _This game of his is growing really old,_ she thought, _Why doesn't he just own up, it's no big deal. Geez…_

Ryoga nodded and tossed the leaves onto the fire. What he had _meant_ was he had figured out what the object in the memory was. It was a folded piece of paper. Suddenly he felt sure that he had handed Ranma a piece of paper, a letter…probably a letter of challenge. He didn't know how he remembered that, but he did. And frankly, it freaked him out a little. _They are just coming so naturally now…_Ryoga mused, _I don't even think I am seizing up for all of them…sometimes I just…remember…or I just…know…_

"Why are you lying to me about the memories?" Ranma said suddenly.

Ryoga froze. He had _not_ been expecting Ranma to bring it up at all, never mind so bluntly! Just the shock of the suddenness of the question caused his heart to stop, settle somewhere in his stomach, and then shoot back into his chest, giving him a feeling of slight nausea. But why? Ryoga suddenly wondered why he _was_ lying about remembering Ranma. It just seemed like the right thing to him, but he couldn't explain it. Maybe it was because he was a guy, and you know, guys were all tough and macho and didn't like sharing…Ryoga practically laughed out loud at the concept. He was a sap and he knew it. He wore his emotions on his sleeves and he had no problems with talking about how he felt, well, unless of course it involved telling a girl how he felt about her, then he turned into jelly. So that couldn't be it.

Maybe it was because of the whole lifelong connection thing that Dr. Tofu had mentioned. He didn't know all the details, but he was fairly certain that it had, in fact, happened. He tried not to think about it, tried not to admit it, but more than a few times Ryoga had wondered how he seemed to know what Ranma was thinking or feeling. Of course, he brushed it off and decided it was just because they were friends now because, well, admitting that he had some sort of "connection" to Ranma was…well…creepy. So maybe, just maybe Ryoga was afraid to admit to having _any _connection to Ranma, and so didn't want to admit he even remembered her. It was a bit of a stretch, but Ryoga decided it was more likely.

And, just maybe it was because he had made that promise to Ranma, that he would always see her as a guy. Yes, that seemed most probable. He didn't want to let Ranma down, let her think that he thought of her as girl. This seemed most likely, and Ryoga quickly stifled that part of him that was insisting Ranma was okay with it all now because that ruined his argument. And it was a great argument.

He realized he hadn't said anything for a while, or even moved. He was glad he had remembered to keep breathing at least. So, he just blew on the fire a bit more, then finally said, for no reason he could rightly explain, "I don't know what you are talking about,"

"Oh, come off it, would ya'?" Ranma said in frustration, "I'm not stupid, ya' know! I've seen you have several memories,"

"How would you even _know_ if I was having memories, wouldn't they be in my head?" Ryoga asked, hoping Ranma would suddenly become stupid. No luck.

"Because you do that whole thing where you freeze up for a minute. It's happened to me and Ukyo and even Pop, but he won't admit it either," Ranma said, and then added, "Besides…I can…I can just tell, okay?"

"Well, you must be mistaken because…" Ryoga began, still recklessly trying to maintain his lie.

But Ranma had had enough, and really, Ryoga should have known that when Ranma sets her mind to something she doesn't quit. "There you go again! Lyin' about somethin' stupid! Why the heck would you lie about something like this, it's so…stupid! What's it matter if you remember me as a girl, I don't care! Ukyo is remembering all the time and I don't care,"

Finally, Ryoga recognized his defeat, and said hopelessly, "Because I think it's weird, okay!"

Ranma blinked at him, having expected to go on for a few more minutes at least.

"Okay? Fine, so I've been having memories, all the time, lots of them," Ryoga admitted recklessly, as if removing a huge weight from his chest, he spilled it all, "I remember when we were in middle school together, I remember sparring with you all the time, I remember when we used to be friends. I remember that you are a terrible cook and that you are really proud and hate it when guys try and stick up for you just because you are a girl. I remember that people used to make fun of me because I got beat up by a girl all the time and I remember that I didn't care because you were such a good martial artist. I remember that you used to beat them up for saying that and then you'd get all proud and say you were just teaching them a lesson even though I'd get all sentimental about it and say you were doing it because you didn't like to see them teasing your friend.

Okay? I remember all of that! So what? It's not weird, everyone else is remembering you, it's just that I feel like I let you down because I promised always to think of you as a guy, but now I have more memories of you as a girl and you _look_ like a girl and it's getting harder and harder for me to tell myself you are a guy, even though you don't act all girly, you just _are_ a girl, I can't explain it, and I'm sorry! Okay?"

Ryoga finally stopped ranting, and took a deep breath, and promptly stared down at the fire in embarrassment. Ranma just stood there for a second, blinking at him. Finally, she came over to him where he was kneeling by the fire, and put her hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her, standing next to him. The first thing he noticed was how short she was. She was standing, and he was kneeling, and still she was only a few inches above him. Then he noticed her eyes. He had always known they were blue, you know, know your enemy and all, but he had never really _looked_ at them. It was a bit weird for guys to look at each other's eyes, ya' know? But now he saw how blue they actually were. It was really pretty strange, most Japanese people had dark eyes…and her hair…it was so brilliantly red, like fire. How had she gotten such red hair? He knew it was natural because Ranma was not the type of girl to go dying her hair. Besides, she had had it when she was a guy. Well, a guy who turned into a girl.

But he could barely remember that anymore. The fact that Ranma had been a guy now seemed like a mistake to him. Ryoga had been thinking of it the other way around. The fact that Ranma had been a girl was a mistake because she was actually a guy. Now, he didn't know how he could ever have thought of Ranma as anything but a girl. Her features were so delicate, her frame was so petite. True, she was filled with a proud energy that most Japanese women didn't have, but that just made her a strong girl now, and not a guy trapped in a girl's body like she always had been to him.

The fire sparkled off of Ranma's hair causing a splash of brilliant colors to flicker about her. It lit her face and cast a wavering shadow next to her on the ground. But mostly, the light from the fire was reflected in Ranma's big eyes, reflecting the fire within. Her eyes were very feminine, they always had been when the guy Ranma was in his girl form. Her eyes were here most feminine feature. Well…aside from some features that Ryoga certainly wasn't ready to notice yet. Yes, despite the male Ranma's constant claims that he was all man, Ryoga had always noticed that he could make the big, sappy, girl eyes, the eyes that would make even the strongest man fall to his knees, extremely well. He doubted she even knew when she was doing it because otherwise, she wouldn't be doing it to him now. Right?

"Ryoga," Ranma said softly, looking down at her friend, "I'm okay with being a girl now, honest. So…it's okay if you think of me that way too,"

Ryoga nodded, but barely finished his nod before he was struck again by another one of those memories, and he seized up, very slightly, so slightly that Ranma didn't even notice. Ranma was looking at him, with the same compassionate expression she was wearing now, only in this scene, she was a little younger, she was wearing a girls middle school uniform, and not Chinese silk pants and a guy's tank top. Her eyes were lit up with the setting sun, and not with the fire, but they were just as big and just as bright, only these eyes had a slightly different effect on Ryoga than they had in the present. He was sure that Ranma had just gotten done saying something to him, but he didn't know what it was, he couldn't remember, and he had a feeling that at the time he hadn't heard it either. He knew that at the time his heart was stopped and he knew he was blushing, but he couldn't figure out why. Ryoga felt his heart melting in the memory, felt himself falling deeper into Ranma's gaze.

He snapped out of it suddenly, and felt his throat close up as he realized what had just happened. He had had a memory that he would give anything in the world to erase. A memory that he knew was going to stay with him, haunt him, and generally confuse him, even if it was in the past. It was not exactly easy to forget that you used to have a crush on your enemy, even if it was years ago. It was, he knew, going to torture him, and more importantly, it made it absolutely impossible for him to continue seeing Ranma as a guy. Admittedly, that image had been hanging on by a string, but now it was gone. Ranma was not a guy anymore, she could never be a guy to him again.

Ryoga nodded and said, feeling as though his mouth were dangerously dry, "T-thanks…"

Ranma smiled and turned back to the fire, stuffing a few dried leaves into it. Ryoga sat still for a moment, letting his heart start beating again, letting his brain process what had just happened, and staring at Ranma as if she were a ghost or some sort of three-headed monster. Ranma grabbed the pots and pans and handed them to Ryoga. She practically had to slap him to get his attention.

"Why don't you cook dinner," she said, and then added jokingly, "You know, since I'm a terrible cook and all, right?

Ryoga nodded, but said nothing out loud, just started sifting through their supplies. To himself though, he said, _Oh man, I'm in trouble…_


	15. Secrets Part 2

_Author's Note: Hi all! So, I have been asked these questions by a few people, so I jfigured I'd give a little explanation to clear up any confusions you might all have.  
_

_Ryoga training Ranma: I don't know, I always thought Ryoga was one of Ranma's greatest challenges. He gave Ranma a run for his money quite a bit. Also, he also knew what it was like to have to fight with a cursed form, so, in a way, he understands what Ranma is going through. And I never really saw Ryoga losing his balance in the series, unless it was for a really good reason. He wasn't clutzy, just shy and awkward.  
_

_ Ryoga's Memories: And as for the memories, I think it makes perfect sense. For one thing, everyone who knew Ranma as a girl is getting back those memories, some have more to regain than others. A years worth of time is a lot of memories (which is how long Ranma and Ryoga knew each other when Ranma was a girl). Yes, in the manga/anime Ryoga and Ranma went to an all boys school. So? If everyones memories are fabricated, why can't that be fabricated as well? Also, Ryoga isn't like the others, he has a special connection to Ranma now, so it is only natural that he regains the memories more often and quicker and that they integrate themselves more thoroughly. Also, as you saw last chapter, Ryoga had deeper feelings for Ranma, and thus, had a closer connection to her (aka he paid more attention to her actions and thus had more memories. You know how it is with someone you have feelings for. You pay attention to them more often than other people, thus giving you more memories).  
_

_Ranma being a terrible cook: And as I said to someone else, this story pulls its canon from the pre-Nodoka era. I did not want to deal with her as a character for this particular story, so it is set sometime before she shows up. Before she shows up, the only thing we know about Ranma's cooking is from Season 1 when Akane comes on a training mission with Ranma and Genma and Genma comments (via panda sign) "Because your cooking stinks!" And, in "Am I Pretty?", that was not Ranma...that was some wierd mysogonistic materialization of what the male Ranma percieved as feminine. Cooking is not physical, it is mostly mental. Since in that episode Ranma's mental status changed, her cooking had the ability to change as well. In this story, only her physical status has changed and thus, she can still suck at cooking.  
_

_Ranma's skills suffering: And, she didn't lose ALL her skills, they just decreased a little, as they always have when she was a girl. There have been several examples where Ranma or someone has commented that she isn't as good when she's a girl (For one, when she first fought Moose, Cologne commented that she wasn't as good. Also, Akane said at some point, can't remember where, something along the lines of, "Oh no! Ranma will never beat her/him in his girl form!"), but, since she spent so little time as one (no more than a few weeks at the most) it never really mattered too much. Only in the WAY later seasons (again, post-Nodoka) did Genma suggest Ranma train in girl form, and since the canon I am working with does not include that, it essentially never happened. Let's put it this way...guys, imagine that you wake up one morning and have rather large, valuptuous breasts...do you seriously think you won't be off balance? Probably banging into things and walking awkwardly! Definitely not able to fight as well!  
_

_A little more about memories and how they work: And it is not that the last two years didn't happen. They happened alright, and they will ALL have memories of them. It's the fake memories of the 16 years before that that didn't REALLY happen, but they will still remember those too, only, they'll remember them kinda like a dream, in time, as the real memories all come back. For those who didn't know Ranma as a girl, they will not regain or lose any memories, they will just know that this guy they know was actually a girl and they will probably never really see it as a mistake.  
_

_Does this help at all? Enjoy the chapter:)  
_

**Worlds Fall Apart**

**Chapter 15**

**Secrets (Part 2)**

The wind blew inconspicuously, rustling the leaves in the woods surrounding Ranma. She stood there, perched on one leg, hands out to the side to maintain her balance, a makeshift blindfold over her eyes, all her other senses especially astute. Although, she needn't have used them. She stood there, still as a pole, then suddenly swung around on her leg and nailed Ryoga hard in the chest with an expertly aimed kick.

"YES!" Ranma exclaimed as she tore off the blindfold with a huge smile, "I'm getting better! Am I getting better?"

"Yeah," Ryoga said with a grunt as he pushed himself up off the ground, "You're getting better,"

"Man! I can't believe I got that! I mean, you didn't make a sound, not a sound! I don't know how I knew you were there, I just KNEW! I dunno how, but I just knew, and I didn't lose my balance once,"

Ryoga shook his head and rolled his eyes. He had suspected this was happening, and now that he was positive he hadn't made a sound in the world, he came out and said it, "This isn't working…"

"What do you mean it isn't working?" Ranma said, "I'm doing it, I'm maintaining my balance as an instinct and managing to sense your presence before you attack, how is it not working? Explain to me how it isn't working?" She put her hands indignantly on her hips, slightly insulted that Ryoga was not joining in her bliss.

"It's just…I mean," Ryoga shook his head. He knew what he meant, but of course he couldn't say it. The problem was that it was too easy. _It's that stupid connection, I know it!_ Ryoga cursed, more aggravated because of the recent confusion and admitted weirdness than he had a right to be, _She can sense that I am here, not because she is extending her senses, but because of that stupid blood connection! It's not taking any effort, so it won't do her any good…damnit! But I can't tell her that…_

"Why isn't it working?" Ranma asked again, slightly impatient and dangerously indignant.

"Well, because…it's too easy for you," Ryoga said, thinking quick, "I mean, you've gotten too good at it. I think you've mastered this exercise, there is nothing more you can learn from it, let's move onto something else,"

Ranma raised an eyebrow. Something was going on, and she knew it. Ryoga was a terrible liar, but he was also stubborn to boot, and right now he didn't seem likely to start talking. It had been several days since she had finally gotten him to own up about the memories, and she kind of wished she hadn't. It seemed to have wierded him out for some reason, and now he was acting all bizarre and awkward around her. She sighed and threw up her hands.

"Okay, whatever, what's next Ryoga-sensei?" Ranma mocked. Whatever was bothering him now, she hoped he'd work it out soon because, well, frankly…she wanted her buddy back. _Maybe I shouldn't have told him it was okay to think of me as a girl…maybe he's acting different because he can think of me as a girl…He never was good around girls, but well, I'm different, so that shouldn't matter…_

"Let's just…take a break," Ryoga said, "I'm tired," This wasn't too far of a stretch, really. He was mentally tired. His brain hurt. His heart just wasn't in training right now. Ranma, on the other hand, seemed to be practically bursting with energy.

"Awww…come on, man! It's not even noon yet and you're tired already? What? Are you getting' old or somethin'?" Ranma said, jokingly slapping Ryoga on the back.

Ryoga just shook his head since there really wasn't much he could say. This was not what Ranma had been expecting, she had expected…well, a reaction…any reaction!

"Fine!" Ranma sighed, "You take a break, and I'll go practice some on my own,"

"Sure," Ryoga said, "Fine. I'll…catch up in a little bit,"

Ranma jogged off towards the side of the mountain they were based near and started energetically kicking and punching the air. Ryoga wandered over towards the camp and plunked down on the ground near the almost dead fire. He let out an aggravated sigh.

_This is getting ridiculous!_ He cursed silently, tossing a stick towards the embers, _I know I don't like Ranma now, so why am I so bothered by some stupid crush I had back in middle school? This is ridiculous!_ He kicked at the ground and forced himself to think of Akane, though he was unsure why. It was all he could do not to scoff and mutter, "Women,".

Yeah, they really weren't making life easy for him at the moment. He leaned back against a tree trunk and stared up at the leaves, closing his eyes and letting his mind wander for an hour or so. Of course, the problem with letting your mind wander, is that it eventually ends up right back where it started. _I just need to find a way to get over that whole stupid crush I used to have…not that I have it now, just the fact that I USED to is…weird, and…_Ryoga stopped and perked up his head suddenly.

"Ranma?" he said out loud, suddenly overwhelmed by a feeling of danger. Ranma was in danger, he knew it…somehow. But he didn't stop to think on that just then, he had a feeling this was some pretty urgent danger. Ryoga scrambled up and onto his feet, darting off mindlessly towards the mountain base. He had seen Ranma head in that direction, but it wasn't that which pulled him towards it. It was just…a feeling…he just knew. A minute later, Ryoga skidded to a halt, about a hundred feet up the mountain. Any other person would have glanced around and seen nothing, but Ryoga was pulled towards the edge of the cliff. He looked over the side, already knowing what he was going to find. And, sure enough, Ranma was dangling there, grasping at a branch, a sheer drop under her. Without a word, Ryoga reached down and grasped her tiny wrist, pulling her light body easily back up onto the edge. He released her wrist and sat there, panting heavily from the faster than lightening speed with which he had gotten there.

"What on Earth were you doing?" Ryoga asked breathlessly.

"You know," Ranma replied, equally shaken, "Just hangin' around,"

"That was lame," Ryoga accused dryly, referring to Ranma's stab at humor.

"You asked for it," Ranma said with a grin at Ryoga.

"You okay?" Ryoga asked, straightening himself up a bit.

Ranma nodded.

"What happened?" Ryoga asked her.

"I was training, and I landed near the edge…and it crumbled. I caught the branch, but it wasn't very sturdy…if you hadn't shown up when you did…" Ranma started, then she looked over at her friend, "How did you know?"

"Whazzat?" Ryoga asked, not realizing the danger she was putting him in, not realizing that another of his pre-doomed facades was about to crumble.

"You must have gotten here a minute after I fell, how did you know?" Ranma asked again, curiosity showing on her face.

"I…well, I heard you scream," Ryoga lied.

"I didn't scream," Ranma said, raising an eyebrow.

"You sure?" Ryoga asked, mind racing to figure out how to cover for this, "Well, I must have heard the rocks crumble then,"

"But this place is way off to the left from our camp," Ranma rationalized, "And I didn't even hear the rocks crumble, I think there is water below…and some seriously thick trees…"

"Is there?" Ryoga asked, peering over the edge, hoping this would change the subject, "There is! Look at that…"

"Ryoga, what's going on?" Ranma asked, "And don't try and pull that 'I don't know what you're talking about' bit because I know you do…you should know, you are a terrible liar,"

"Am I?" Ryoga said with a sigh, "I just…I just knew, okay? I…had a feeling…"

"You had a feeling?" Ranma asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow, "You just happened to have a feeling that I fell off a cliff?"

"Okay, so it was more than a feeling," Ryoga admitted.

"If this were the first time something like this had happened, I might hock it up to coincidence," Ranma said, "But it ain't…so start talkin'"

Ryoga sighed. Ranma, he knew, was even more stubborn than Akane, and had only become more so since she became a female. He could fight this, but it was a losing battle and he knew it. So, he simply spilled. He told Ranma the whole story, all about how he had to use his blood in the spell that saved Ranma, about how it had to be the blood of an enemy and the blood of a friend, about how that blood was supposed to create some sort of life long bond between them. He explained, but not without some serious blushing and awkwardness, about how he had felt closer to Ranma since that spell, more attune to her feelings.

"The first time I noticed it was that time, right after you found out, when we both tried to run after Akane, and you had collapsed from hunger," Ryoga explained.

"And you turned around…I was too confused and exhausted to wonder how you had known…now I see…" Ranma said, eyes wide with shock. Then, as she grasped the meaning behind this, she turned away. She had turned away so abruptly that Ryoga felt inclined to say something.

"So…" he said, and it almost sounded like a question.

But Ranma wasn't sure how to answer. She wasn't sure how she felt about this. Was she thankful because it had helped save her? Was she angry he hadn't thought to tell her about this? Was she disgusted with the whole concept? It was weird, she knew that much. Too weird…and confusing. What did it mean? What did this whole "connection" mean? How was it going to affect her? Did this mean that Ryoga was going to know everything she was thinking because, quite frankly, that was a really aggravating concept, her thoughts were private sometimes, and who does he think he is just butting in and listening in anyway?

"So what?" Ranma asked, a little shortly.

"Just…I mean, what do you think about this all?" Ryoga asked, the sensitive mediator part of him coming out.

"I don't think anything of it," Ranma barked, her temper inexplicably getting the better of her, "What's there to think about? Huh? Nothing, so there."

"Hey, don't get all mad at me, this isn't my fault!" Ryoga said.

"It's not? Because it seems an awful lot like it is!" Ranma yelled.

"Hey, if I hadn't given my blood to the spell you woulda died!" Ryoga said, and then flung his arms up into the air, "You are such an ingrate!"

"Yeah, well, no one asked you to go mixing your blood with mine!" Ranma said, and then was disturbed with some horrible thoughts on how that could have been taken and stood up and turned away in a huff.

"Uh, yeah! Dr. Tofu did!" Ryoga said in frustration.

"Well, I never did," Ranma stated, folding her arms across her chest.

"Yeah, sorry, you were a bit UNCONSCIOUS!" Ryoga shouted, "I couldn't exactly ask your permission!"

"Yeah…well…" Ranma started, but she didn't know what else to say, so she just said, "Shut up!"

"What are you so darn angry about anyway?" Ryoga asked in exasperation.

"This whole stupid…thing!" Ranma said, "It's…it's sick!" She practically shuddered when she said that, and Ryoga felt himself become unexplainably offended. Sure, he had thought the same thing, but for some reason, Ranma saying it kinda,…well, it kinda hurt.

"Fine," Ryoga said, walking off dejectedly, a cloud of gloom hovering around him, "If you think sharing a connection with me is such a terrible thing, then…maybe…"

Ranma rolled her eyes. _Augh! Why is he so damn sensitive all the time, what a sap!_ "Ryoga, come on!" She said as she walked after him.

"I just…I thought we were friends, Ranma!" Ryoga said sadly.

"We are, it's just…look, that's not how I meant it, okay?" Ranma said, "It's just…you know, I'm not real big on talkin' about my feelings and junk like you are…I'm, you know, more reserved and stuff,"

"Yeah, I know," Ryoga said, "And besides, this is probably a delicate time for you right now, and…"

"Hey!" Ranma said, holding up her hands, "Let's not make me sound like a…" She stopped, she was gonna say girl, but that didn't seem right, "Like a pansy, okay?"

Ryoga shook his head, "So, are we gonna play the whole 'ignore it and maybe it'll go away' thing then?"

"Sounds good to me," Ranma said with a coy smile, and Ryoga chuckled, and the two of them headed back down towards the camp. Ryoga was feeling much better, having gotten everything off his chest…well, almost everything. He didn't even count that whole past crush thing he had because, well, it was weird, irrelevant, and more importantly, in the past.

Ranma, on the other hand, was feeling a little worse for wear. As much as she put on the tough chic front and as much as she tried to ignore it, she couldn't help feeling just the tiniest bit…wigged about the whole thing. On the one hand, that little piece of information was a relief. She was beginning to think that she was more astute to Ryoga lately because she was becoming more emotionally aware. She knew that most girls were like that, but frankly, it wasn't her style. She was worried she was becoming more attuned to emotions in general, and that just brought up a whole series of nightmares involving her in frilly pink dresses and aprons crying over chic flicks and telling people they were hurting her feelings and then asking for a shoulder to cry on.

She shuddered. But now that she knew what it was about, she felt much relieved. It wasn't her being girly, it was magic! That was okay. She could live with that.

On the other hand though, she wasn't entirely sure how she felt about sharing a connection with Ryoga. She had been thinking of him as a friend lately, sure. A buddy. A pal. Nothing serious…but this bond thing…it had just kicked their relationship up a notch. He wasn't just her friend anymore…not like _that_ or anything, it was still ENTIRELY platonic, but now, their relationship ran to a deeper level, a level of commitment that Ranma wasn't entirely sure she was ready for. She had been alone in this thing until then. Sure, she had people surrounding her, but she had been emotionally alone. Now, she wasn't any more. Ryoga was there too…and almost as if to prove the point, Ryoga turned around as she climbed down the mountain towards their camp and said, his voice full of friendly concern, "You okay?"

Ranma nodded, but felt inclined to laugh at the action. She couldn't lie to Ryoga any more than he could lie to her. Not anymore. But damnit…she was going to have to try.


	16. Genma's World

_Author's Note: o.o…can I just say…o.o Wow._

_Okay, firstly, I wanted to apologize. I am sorry for doing something as ridiculous as this, but I was getting rather frustrated having to repeat myself in emails every single day when I got home from work, at the time, it seemed like the most logical way to end this civilly. Someone said this ruined their enjoyment of the story, and I am sorry I have done that, but I don't see how one stupid poll can destroy an entire story, that's a little petty. Anyway, I am sorry nonetheless, I DID go a little overboard, but it was just driving me bonkers!_

_Secondly, Howard Russell was kind enough to inform me that posting a chapter without story material is ILLEGAL and grounds to have your story erased without warning! O.o So, I have replaced that chapter entirely with this chapter._

_Also, as was said by very many reviewers, I am finally going to just put my foot down and say it…this is MY story. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my readers to death and I really, honestly do care about what you guys think and any critiquing or problems you have with it, and I will do anything within my reasonable power to try and make this a pleasurable reading experience, but when it all boils down, this is MY story. Dealer wins. The end. So, Ryo-Wolf, as fun as it was discussing this with you, I am not going to change a damned thing about my story. Furthermore, the mini section I had planned that dealt with cooking will go off without a hitch. Look forward to it, guys. And if you disagree with it, then I apologize._

_Also, I bet you are all wondering two things right about now. _

_1. So…what were the results of the poll?_

_2. Well! Do we get an extra chapter this week?_

_First things first, YES! You get an extra chapter this week! I got SO many reviews (reviews from readers I didn't even know I had!) I am simply astounded at the feedback I got and I am amazed at how many people are actually reading my story…really…all the silent readers that never commented, I had assumed I had like, 12 readers and that was all, but WOW! O.o So, despite the immaturity and general ass hatty-ness that was that poll page, I have to look on the bright side…now I know of like, 20 more readers who I had never heard from before! OOBER INSPIRATION BOOST!_

_So, the new chapter will be posted tomorrow or the next day (depends on my work schedule which is unfortunately quite busy…) If you want to comment and cannot comment on this chapter due to already commenting on it, then just save your comment and double up on Chapter 17, okies?_

_And finally :Drum roll please: the results of the poll! There were 28 votes (three in the form of PM's, the rest in comments). Of those 28…_

**_Ranma is a good cook and that element of the story is flawed:_**_ 6_

**_Ranma is probably a good cook but it doesn't matter in the story:_**_ 3_

**_Ranma is probably not that great a cook and so the story is fine and canon:_**_ 18_

_The results are in, the case is closed. :closes case:_

_Anyway, thanks so much for humoring the madness guys! And I promise not to pull anything like that again, okies? ;) But look on the bright side, EXTRA CHAPTER:) Bye and enjoy!_

**Worlds Fall Apart**

**Chapter 16-Genma's World**

"I'm home!" Ranma called as she dropped her large pack on the floor. Their training mission had lasted about a week, and she was certain it had done her worlds of good. Well, her balance anyway. It had been a tad awkward at times, and…well, weird. _But hey!_ Ranma thought, _That stuff doesn't matter. I went on the mission to work on my balance, and it has definitely improved a great deal, so I'd say it was a success!_

"Oh, hello Ranma!" Kasumi said as she hurriedly hung up the phone and rushed into the room. Her face was flushed, but Ranma didn't stop to wonder why.

"Hey Kasumi, you have anything cooking for lunch?" Ranma asked.

"Yes, I can whip you up some…thing, just give me a minute," Kasumi said, then floated out of the room and towards the kitchen with Ranma on her heels, "How was your trip?"

"Mission," Ranma corrected her, "And it was good,"

"That's nice," she said distractedly, but handing Ranma a bowl of rice was all it took to keep her from wondering what was up. "Akane and Nabiki should be in from school soon, and you father has been out all morning, I expect he'll be back shortly as well,"

"Cool," Ranma said, barely stopping the shoveling of her rice. She hadn't gotten a chance to eat a proper meal that day, and while Ryoga could cook a shade better than her, his food was nothing compared to Kasumi's master culinary skills. Within half an hour Ranma was enjoying a delicious home cooked meal, devouring it at such speed one might even say it was unsanitary.

"Yeesh, Ranma! Eat like a girl, would ya'? Girls don't…_inhale_ their food," Nabiki said as she and Akane walked into the room.

Ranma rolled her eyes. _Girls also don't spend a week training in the woods and they brush their hair and wear makeup to bring out their eyes and they buy dresses and talk proper, _Ranma silently chided, _Well, sorry to disappoint Nabiki, but I ain't your average girl!_ Ranma shook her head. One day…one day she'd have the heart to say this out loud, but…well, Nabiki just seemed so…unusually sincere about helping Ranma. Ranma had never seen Nabiki be sincere about _anything_, well, unless it involved money, and…it seemed wrong, somehow, to just shove off her helpfulness.

"How'd your training mission go?" Akane asked, "Did Ryoga help you fix your balance?"

"It wasn't _broken,_" Ranma corrected, "It just needed some work. And yeah, he did,"

Akane smiled, "Yeah, Ryoga always has had incredible balance, he's the best teacher for that sort of thing. Remember when he trained me for the rhythmic gymnastics competition?"

"As I recall, that didn't do you any good, you were still as ungraceful as a mule," Ranma said.

Akane reddened, then glared at Ranma, but her wrath was interrupted by the return of Genma. He stopped when he saw Ranma, almost as if he hadn't been expecting to see her there. As if he were existing too comfortably, and that had to stop now.

"Hello, son," Genma said with a curt nod.

"I'm not your son, Pops," Ranma said dryly, almost out of habit at this point, "Get it straight, would ya'?"

"Right," Genma said, clearly having not taken what Ranma said seriously at all, and then leaving the room.

"Ranma, this probably isn't my place," Kasumi said politely, sitting next to Ranma at the table, "But it's been quite a while since you found out you were a girl. Shouldn't your father have begun to accept it by now?"

Ranma shrugged. _That's Pop for ya', stubborn as a mule and twice as ugly…_

"Honestly, Ranma," Kasumi continued, "You two really should work things out. I mean, he's your father! I would hate to see such a loving relationship…"

"Loving relationship?" Ranma snorted, "Which two people are _you _looking at?"

"Yeah," Akane added, "The only time Ranma and Mr. Saotome ever bond is when they are beating each other up!"

Kasumi sighed, "Still…"

"I'll talk to him," Ranma said. What she meant was, Akane had just given her an idea, which she planned to execute soon. _We bond when we fight, huh?_ Ranma thought, _Then the Old Man is in for a real father-daughter bonding session…_

Ranma crouched silently on the rooftop. She was wearing her gi, and she was flattened against the tiles so that she was practically invisible. Below her, out in the back garden, Genma was doing some warm up exercises. She watched him with an evil grin on her face, and then waited for him to get in a position where he wouldn't have a chance to block her. After all, she wasn't about to go easy on him! As soon as she saw her chance, Ranma lunged off the roof with a loud "Hyaaaa!" and nailed her father in the chest with a wall shattering kick.

Genma flew backwards, taken entirely by surprise at the attack, and Ranma couldn't help but mock, "Whats'a matter, Old Man? You gettin' too deaf to hear me comin'?"

"Ranma, what on Earth do you think you're doing?" Genma asked in shock, stumbling to free himself from the mess of wall he had broken up.

Ranma dove at him, punching a large hole in the ground as he moved out of the way in the nick of time. "Or maybe," Ranma said, turning to face her opponent, "You're just gettin' senile?"

Ranma lunged again, this time with a full force Chestnut Fist that her father was barely able to dodge. For several minutes they fought. Or rather, Ranma fought, and Genma dodged.

"Come on!" Ranma growled, "Fight back! Or have you gotten soft in your advanced age?"

"Boy, what do you think you're doing?" Genma shouted as he barely dodged another potentially lethal kick.

"Damnit Pop!" Ranma roared, stopping her attacks for a second, "I'm a girl! I got over it, why can't you?" Then, she renewed her efforts with twice as much vigor as before.

Genma continued to dodge, so Ranma stopped playing and nailed him with a flying kick that sent him tumbling into the bushes. "You…are such…a COWARD!" Ranma shouted as she made a final dive at her father. But this time, Genma hit back. He caught Ranma's leg and flipped her onto the ground.

"Show some respect for your elders!" Genma roared, face red with anger.

Ranma was so surprised she barely got up in time to dodge Genma's next attack. Within seconds he was launching another, and then another, and another still, and Ranma and Genma were soon fighting with more vigor than they ever had before. After nearly an hour of this, they collapsed in two panting, sweaty heaps on the grass. Ranma lay back on the ground, and Genma lay diagonally next to her so that they weren't close, but she could still see him when she turned her head. They lay there for several minutes, regaining their breath and their ability to move.

"You've…improved," Genma commented between gasps.

"Yeah," Ranma answered.

"Are we…done?" Genma asked again, glancing over at his daughter and referring to more than the fight. The sunlight caught the sweat beads at the ends of her hair, and it was all he could do to keep from smiling as he remembered seeing her just as worn out as this on some of their earlier training missions, when she had been a girl without question. Genma was stubborn and lazy, but he was not stupid. Usually. He knew his son was gone, and he, too, had been plagued by a rush of memories of a daughter he hadn't truly seen in a year. He knew this wasn't going to just shrivel up and go away. But, he needed a little push to acceptance. I mean, you _can_ teach an old dog new tricks, it just takes a while. And, as little as he liked to admit it, he was an old dog. He had gotten quite used to his comfortable life here with the Tendo's, and he wasn't at all pleased about anything changing. But, in time, it was beginning to feel like things _weren't_ changing at all, but really going back to the way they should be.

Ranma smiled and then sat up, "Yep," She jumped up off the ground and then bounced towards the house where she was met by a skeptical Akane.

"I thought you were going to talk to him?" Akane said once Ranma was inside.

"I did," Ranma said with a nod and a smile.

"Really? Cause it looked an awful lot like you two beat each other up, hurled some insults, and then said about three sentences to each other!" Akane accused.

"Same difference," Ranma shrugged.

"But…that doesn't accomplish anything!"

"It's our way, okay?" Ranma insisted.

"But…nothing has changed…"

"Exactly," Ranma confirmed with a contented grin, then skipped off towards the bath.

"Oh! I bet that guys a real sucker for a cute girl, come on!" Genma said excitedly as he led Ranma over towards a stand selling Octopus Puffs. He plastered a fake grin across his face then Ranma launched into her speech.

"Ooooh! Daddy, look! Octopus Puffs! Don't they look yummy!" Ranma squealed girlishly.

"Yes, they do, honey," Genma agreed with a wink, then sadly continued in the most overdramatic fashion possible, "I'm so sorry I can't get you any, I'm so poor. And with your poor mother in the hospital…OH! I only wish I could be the kind of father who could give his beautiful little girl everything!"

The poor shopkeepers heart practically melted, and he said, "WAIT! Little girl! Here, you can have a dozen on me, and here's some for your Dad too. It's just…:sniff: so sad to see such a beautiful family torn to shreds by poverty and illness!"

"Oh, thank you, sir! Thank you so much!" Ranma squealed, "Daddy! This man is so kind! Oh yay!"

"Sir, you've made my daughters day, I cannot thank you enough," Genma crooned, grasping the mans hand and letting his eyes water a little by not blinking.

"It's my pleasure, I just hope your wife gets well. I hate to see a little girl without a mother…" The man said.

Genma and Ranma smiled and wandered off, high fiving each other as soon as they had gotten out of the mans sight.

"Score!" Ranma said as she tossed an octopus puff into her mouth.

"Ha ha!" Genma laughed heartily, "I always knew having a daughter would come in handy one day!"

Ranma grinned and the two plopped down onto a bench and enjoyed their octopus puffs. When Kasumi heard that Ranma and her father had reconciled, she practically wept her eyes out, smiling and hugging them and saying how happy she was that they were a family again. She went on about fatherly love and stuff, and eventually ended up insisting that Ranma and Genma spend a day in the town together, some real Father-Daughter quality time. Ranma snickered, _Man, if she knew that quality time with me and Pop meant trying to cheat as many people into giving us free food as possible…well, she wouldn't like it, that's for sure._ Ranma popped her last octopus puff into her mouth and licked her fingers while saying, "So, I'm thinking ice cream, how 'bout you, Pops?"

"Hey! Ryoga, m'boy!" Genma called out, and Ranma looked up to see Ryoga walking along the path. He turned and walked over to them.

"Hi Ranma," he said with a nod, "Mr. Saotome. How is everything?"

"Great!" Genma exclaimed, "Me an' Ranma are just experiencing some of the fine dining Nerima city center has to offer,"

"Fine dining?" Ranma asked with a raised eyebrow, then she turned to Ryoga and said, "What he means is, we're cheating as many people as we can into giving us free food,"

Ryoga nodded, looking slightly confused, so Ranma jumped up and skipped off. Several minutes later, she reappeared with three heaping ice cream cones and a huge, satisfied grin. She handed one to her father, one to Ryoga, and instantly began licking her own.

"And these were free?" Ryoga asked incredulously, "How…I mean, how'd you do that?"

"Easy!" Ranma said, then instantly began to act out her technique, "Three hundred yen…okay…oh no! I don't have my wallet, I must have lost it! How terrible!" She then proceeded to make big, girly eyes, bat her eyelashes, and moved her arm to recheck her pockets in a way that pushed her breasts together just enough to show a little cleavage, though Ryoga doubted she was doing that part on purpose. Ranma was so naïve sometimes…

"You…you dirty little cheat!" Ryoga said with a grin, then shrugged and laughed, "Heh…genius!"

The three stood around and chatted while eating their ice cream cones when suddenly, a purple blur flew out from apparently nowhere.

"Ranma! Wo ai ni!" the purple blur called as she tackled Ranma, causing her to stumble and thoroughly smashing her ice cream cone into her chest.

"Shampoo!" Ranma whined, "Man! Look what you did to my shirt! Come on, get off me, would'ya?"

Shampoo stepped backwards and looked down at Ranma's ice cream soaked shirt. "Oh! Shampoo so sorry! Here! I clean up for you!" she said, and started wiping at Ranma's chest with a napkin she had snagged from an unsuspecting bystander.

Ranma blushed a deep crimson because Shampoo was not exactly being careful while wiping her shirt and was fondling her considerably, "H-hey! Shampoo, would ya' cut that out! I mean…I'm a-a-a girl and…we're in public!"

"Oh! Sorry Ranma!" Shampoo said, coming up under Ranma's chin and fluttering her eyelashes, "You should of say…you want go somewhere more private, yes?"

"What? No!" Ranma practically shouted, and would have said more if she had not been violently pulled away from Shampoo by an angry Mousse who had just arrived on the scene.

"Ranma!" he yelled loudly, not caring that everyone around them was watching, "You pervert! You are unbelievable! Even as a girl you chase after my Shampoo! How…how…shameless! Despicable! You chase boys _and_ girls, just as you did before!"

"Hey! I ain't chasin' nobody!" Ranma shouted, getting into a battle stance.

"Don't you think I won't hit you just because you're a girl now!" Mousse yelled, also getting into a battle stance, "Because…because I will! I don't remember you as a girl, so you are still a guy to me, so that means I can beat you up!"

"You? Beat me up?" Ranma said, raising an eyebrow, "Right, like that would ever happen!"

"You dare question me, Saotome!" Mousse roared, then lunged towards Ranma screaming, "Fist of the White-"

But he was cut off when he fell face first into the ground. Next to him, Ryoga stood with his foot extended.

"Gee, that guy really doesn't know when to give up, does he?" Ryoga said.

"Hey, I coulda handled him!" Ranma reprimanded.

Ryoga looked slightly taken aback, then saved himself by saying, "I know, but, I mean, it was only Mousse. It's not like I took a _real_ fight, right? And anyway, it was too easy, he doesn't pay any attention to his surroundings,"

Ranma folded her arms indignantly across her chest and raised an eyebrow at Ryoga, and then she sighed, rolled her eyes, and decided to let it go. Besides, she still had Shampoo to…

"AUGH! SAMPOO!" Ranma said as well as she could with a mouthful of Shampoos hair, "Geroff a me! I can't breathe!"

She pushed the girl off with a little force, but not too much because she was SO not in the mood to fight Shampoo right then.

"I'm not in the mood for this right now, Shampoo!" Ranma said in hopeless exasperation.

Shampoo nodded vigorously and said, "Is okay! Shampoo come back when Ranma in mood!"

Ranma blushed a deep red, and even Ryoga and Genma tinged a little crimson hearing talk like that between the two girls, but Ranma wasn't about to complain.

"Whatever gets her out of my hair," she groaned, shaking her head, then looking down absently at her ice cream soaked shirt, "Man! What am I gonna do with this, this ice cream is dripping all over the place,"

Ryoga laughed and said, "Leave it to you to get ice cream smeared all over your only shirt by your psycho Amazon girlfriend,"

"Hey, this ain't my only shirt!" Ranma said, "And she ain't my girlfriend!"

"Whatever," Ryoga said, then began digging around in his oversized backpack. A minute later he came up with a t-shirt and tossed it to Ranma.

"What's this?" Ranma asked, unfurling it. It was a black t-shirt with a very strange picture of cats, tropical trees, watermelon, and the brightly colored word 'Okinawa' on it.

"It's a souvenir shirt I had picked up when I was in Okinawa one time. Thought I was in Tokyo. I kept it in my bag in case I ever needed it, but souvenir shirts with weird pictures on them aren't exactly my style. You can keep it," Ryoga said. He fidgeted a little, hoping it wasn't too suggestive of a gift, but Ranma didn't notice. _It's just a crummy old shirt from one friend to another, don't over react!_ Ryoga told himself silently. He had

almost gotten over that whole weird crush thing, but not quite.

"Cool, thanks!" Ranma smiled, then immediately began unbuttoning her ice cream covered blouse.

The reaction this caused both amused and confused her. Both her father and Ryoga turned bright red, dropped everything they were holding, and seemed to have a violent mental battle over whether to turn away or try and cover her. Eventually, they opted to do both at once and stood in front of her with their backs turned.

"What?" Ranma asked naively.

"Ranma!" Ryoga hissed, "You can't just…just go unbuttoning your blouse and-and-and just _undressing_ in the middle of the town square!"

"Why not? I got a bra on," Ranma said, but this only caused her poor Father to fall over and Ryoga to turn a brighter red than he already was, "Anyway, you can turn around now, I'm all changed,"

"A-are you…sure?" Ryoga asked, turning his head a little, but not all the way, "Last time you said that you were still all…not dressed…"

Ranma laughed as she remembered that particular fight with Ryoga, it had definitely been hilarious. "Yeah, I promise," she said with a chuckle.


	17. Not That Simple

_Author's Note: So, here you guys go! The extra chapter of the week! Unfortunately, I am coming up to where I am writing, this stuff was written pretty recently…I need to pick up the pace! . _

_Anyway, leave any comments from last chapter that you couldn't post here, okies :)_

_BTWYou are all gonna kill me for the way this chapter ends… But at least it is lengthy, right?_

**Worlds Fall Apart**

**Chapter 17-Not That Simple**

"Hi Ranma," Akane said as Ranma wandered into the dining room, "Here, I made some cookies and…hey, where did you get a shirt from Okinawa?" Akane looked at Ranma in confusion and put her cookies down on the table, momentarily forgotten by the grace of the Gods.

Ranma breathed a sigh of relief and only prayed she could keep her talking long enough to forget about the cookies all together. "Shampoo jumped me in town today and got my ice cream all over my shirt," she said, holding up the ice cream covered shirt as proof, "So Ryoga gave me this one to wear instead,"

"Oh…Ryoga was there?" Akane wondered, her tone suddenly getting strange.

"Uh huh, he saw Pops and I in the park," Ranma said.

"I've never seen him wear that shirt. And when did he go to Okinawa?" Akane wondered.

"Well, he got it a long time ago and kept it in his bag just in case," Ranma explained, "But he gave it to me because he never really wears it,"

"He _gave_ it to you, huh?" Akane said, looking strangely at Ranma.

"Uh huh…like I said, I had ice cream all over my shirt," Ranma said, "What's up…you seem…I dunno,"

"Oh, nothing, I was just wondering if…you know…" Akane started, then laughed, "Nevermind, I'm crazy, anyway, I think I left the oven on,"

Ranma raised an eyebrow, but then caught sight of the still forgotten cookies and high tailed it upstairs.

"Ah, weekend!" Ranma sighed, folding her arms behind her head as she and Akane walked out of the school.

"Yeah, it's been a long week," Akane said, "I can't wait to get home and relax!"

"Well, I'll see you later," Ranma said as she turned off down another street.

"Where are you going?" Akane asked her.

"Weekly session with Tofu, remember?" Ranma said.

"Oh…right," Akane said, then suddenly seemed to remember something, "Well, have fun. I have something to take care of, so I'll probably see you later tonight, we can work on our math homework,"

"I can't wait," Ranma replied sarcastically.

But it was lost on Akane as she jogged off in the opposite direction. Ranma sauntered into Tofu's waiting room, but he was nowhere to be seen. About ten minutes later, he wandered in, hitting the edge of the doorframe on the way, with a familiar fogged over look to his eyes. Ranma grinned.

"H-hi, Ranma!" Dr. Tofu said to the plant in the corner, "Sorry to keep you waiting, come in,"

Ranma smiled and said deviously, "Been talking to Kasumi on the phone, huh?" Then she got up and went ahead of the startled doctor into his office.

"I…I….what gives you _that_ idea?" Dr. Tofu wondered, genuinely naive.

"Are you serious?" Ranma wondered with a laugh, but since Dr. Tofu didn't appear to be joking, she continued, "I mean, you are totally obvious,"

"I…well," Dr. Tofu started with a rising blush.

"Everyone can see it," Ranma continued, not sure when she had gotten so bold.

"It's just…" Dr. Tofu tried to continue, his glasses cleared, but his cheeks the color of cherry blossoms.

"Really, if you like her so much, why don't you just ask her out?" Ranma wondered finally.

Dr. Tofu took his seat behind his desk and fiddled with a pencil. "It's…not that simple,"

"Sure it is!" Ranma said, "Why not? You know you're crazy about her, so you gotta give it a shot, right?"

"Well…the thing is…" Dr. Tofu tried.

"You can't just sit around forever and wait for things to happen on their own, sometimes you have to start them going," Ranma went on.

"It's just that…." Dr. Tofu tried again.

"And how will you ever know if she feels the same if you don't ask?" Ranma wondered.

"Look, it just isn't that simple, Ranma. It just isn't," Dr. Tofu said, uncharacteristically losing his patience a little. Then he softened and said, "You wouldn't understand…"

"And why woudn't I?" Ranma wondered, losing her patience a tad as well. Dr. Tofu wasn't one to talk down to people, and that's one of the reasons she respected him so much. Maybe she had pushed the wrong button, but still… "Hey, I understand better than you think, maybe, ever think about that, huh?"

"I'm sorry, Ranma," Dr. Tofu said, softening, "That was rude of me, but…do you? Really?"

"Whazzat?" Ranma wondered, unsure where he was going with this. This is how it always began. They would start by having a completely normal, everyday conversation, then a few minutes into it, Dr. Tofu would pick up on something that was on Ranma's mind and start the whole therapy thing. It helped Ranma not feel like she was seeing a therapist to do it this way. This way it seemed like she was just talking to a friend. And that was better. The Great Ranma Saotome didn't see therapists. But she did have friends. On the other hand, sometimes he managed to drag out something she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to talk about. Like now.

"Do you really understand…that kind of stuff?" Dr. Tofu asked politely and curiously.

"Well…I…I _was_ engaged to Akane…remember? And Ukyo and Shampoo and…and stuff," Ranma said awkwardly.

"Yes, but if I remember, you were opposed to it. Have you ever, and forgive me if I get a bit personal here, but have you ever courted someone before?" Dr. Tofu asked folding his hands and studying Ranma.

"I…well, erm, technically…no, no, not exactly," Ranma said, looking down.

Dr. Tofu was feeling a bit uncomfortable about this particular line of discussion, but it was an issue he had long been wanting to talk to Ranma about, but was unsure how to bring it up exactly. Ranma had given him the perfect lead in, now all he had to do was try and keep his cool. "Have you ever…wanted to court someone?"

"I…well…I dunno, I guess, kinda…I'm not sure," Ranma said, and Dr. Tofu's probing gaze indicated she should explain further, "Well, that whole thing with Akane and the fiancé thing…I thought maybe I did love her, but I wasn't sure…"

"And?"

Ranma quickly figured out how to word this, "I eventually determined that I didn't…but for a while I considered it, so I kinda thought about dating her, that's something, right?"

"Sort of, I guess," Dr. Tofu considered, "What about the other girls who were after you? Ukyo, Shampoo, Kodachi?"

"No," Ranma said, "I never really thought about any of them that way,"

"Well," Dr. Tofu said, shifting in his seat, ready to go in for the kill, "What about…Kuno…"

"WHAT?" Ranma practically shouted, nearly jumping out of her seat, "NO! NEVER! WHAT ARE YOU, CRAZY?"

"Okay, okay," Dr. Tofu said, holding up a hand, "Just asking, calm down. But…is it…is it because he is…you know…"

"Oh," Ranma said, seeing where Dr. Tofu was going with this, "Oh…"

She shifted uncomfortably and didn't say anything for several seconds, trying hard to look anywhere except at Dr. Tofu. Finally she said, to break the awkward silence, even if it was with even more awkward words, "You mean…because he's a…guy?"

"Yeah,"

"Well…no…I didn't like him because he's…because he's _Kuno_," Ranma said finally.

"What if it were…you know, maybe another…." Dr. Tofu said awkwardly.

"You mean…" Ranma finally said, cutting to the chase, "If I were to date someone, would it be a guy or a girl,"

Dr. Tofu looked suddenly taken aback, but quickly recovered and said, "Well, yes, I was wondering that. I mean…romance and…and…sexuality are an important part of everyone's lives…I know you have had a lot to get used to, and you should by no means feel rushed to proclaim your…personal preference or to jump into anything you are not ready for, but I was just wondering if perhaps it had been weighing on your mind at all,"

Ranma blushed deeply and said quietly, "Well, yeah, I guess I have been thinking about it…you know, a little,"

Dr. Tofu fixed her with his trademark 'go on' stare.

"I was, I dunno, not really sure where I stood because I…you know, I've been both a girl and a guy, and girls are suppose to like guys and guys are supposed to like girls…"

"Ranma, this is what society tells us," Dr. Tofu said, "You should not feel ashamed if you feel or have ever felt differently. Especially you, your situation is…unique,"

"I know," Ranma said, "But the thing is…I guess I didn't really like or notice either…or I did, but not in a…not like most people. Like, I can tell who is attractive and who is not, but…well, other than Akane, I guess I haven't really had anything close to a…romantic relationship…"

"Yes, but it doesn't necessarily take a relationship to know what your sexuality is," Dr. Tofu said, "You can tell by who you are generally attracted to, either mentally or physically,"

"I guess…" Ranma looked down, too embarrassed to continue, "Well, now that I'm a…since my memories are coming back, I guess…I mean, I haven't been finding myself attracted to…girls…when I was a guy I was, a little, I guess. But maybe only because I was expected to. Maybe now I am only attracted to…guys because…because I am expected to…"

Dr. Tofu looked on as Ranma swallowed and finally said, in a very low, unsure voice, "Guys…I guess I like…guys,"

Dr. Tofu nodded, "That's very brave of you Ranma. I'm proud of you for being able to come out and say something like this, even though it is a very awkward subject to talk about,"

Ranma glanced up and gave Dr. Tofu a half smile.

"But don't feel pressured to act on it, not until you are ready. And even once you _feel_ ready, you shouldn't push it, not until you find someone you want to share something special with," Dr. Tofu finished.

"Oh, I'm not ready, not by a long shot! But…once I do find someone I want to…share something special with…then I should do something about it, right?" Ranma asked, glancing up.

"Oh, definitely," Dr. Tofu said encouragingly.

"So…" Ranma wondered, looking up with a devious grin on her face, "Does that mean you'll ask Kasumi out?"

Dr. Tofu's mouth dropped open and he stared at Ranma, fully aware he had walked right into that one. Ranma got up and headed towards the door, stopping at the threshold.

"No pressure or anything," she said, "But when you find someone you want to share something special with, you should do something about it, right?"

Then she winked and skipped out of the office.

"When am I _ever_ going to use this?" Ranma whined as she slammed her pencil down.

"Ranma! Come on, quit being such a baby!" Akane scolded, shoving the pencil back at her, "It's just math, it's not that hard!"

"Yes it is!" Ranma wailed, falling face first into a pillow on Akane's bed.

Akane sighed and said, to no one in particular, "She can defeat every martial artist who challenges her, spend a day in town and not ever have to buy a meal, and can turn her entire life around in spite of devastating circumstances, but ask her to do Algebra and she complains that she can't do it,"

"Hey, I'd sooner change genders again before taking another math class," Ranma said, "Besides, at least when I change genders I have friends like you and Dr. Tofu to talk to about it. With math, all I have is you barking at me to finish my homework,"

"Yes, but we don't give you the answers. We just help you figure them out for yourself," Akane barked, "Just like I am doing with this math homework! And I'm not barking!"

Ranma sighed and rolled over onto her back, but since she made no move to continue with her math homework, Akane put down the book. _I guess we can take a short break…_she thought, then she looked over at her friend and suddenly asked something she had been wondering for some time but had until then been too timid to ask.

"Ranma…" she began, "What do you and Dr. Tofu talk about when you go to visit him every week?"

Ranma looked up, vaguely surprised, especially since she had just been thinking about their latest conversation. "Huh? Erm…you know…this and that,"

"Like what?"

"Stuff," Ranma said.

"What kind of stuff?"

"I dunno, Akane, stuff about how I feel and how and I'm coping, I guess," Ranma said, hoping she was giving enough information to shut her up.

"Well…like…can you give me an example?" Akane asked.

"An example? You want a for example? What do you mean?" Ranma asked, getting slightly frustrated.

"Like, what did you talk about today?" Akane suggested.

Ranma sat up quickly, suddenly very wary because she had gotten too close to something she intended to keep private. "Hey, that's none of your business!" Ranma snapped.

Akane looked as though she had been slapped. "I was…I was just asking…" She looked down timidly, but then her curiosity got the better of her and she recklessly carried on. Ranma was never good at hiding things, so now she could tell that they had talked about something important. "Well, are you going to answer my question or are you just going to get all defensive?"

Ranma huffed, laid back down, and played with her pencil as way of answering.

"Why not? Ranma! Come on, you know you can tell me! I'd understand!" Akane pleaded.

Ranma rolled her eyes and said, slightly under her breath, "Yeah, cause you've got such a great history of being understanding of my problems,"

Akane breathed in sharply, clearly upset by what Ranma had said. She looked down, and after several seconds, she shakily and tearfully said, "I see…"

Ranma looked over at her, suddenly awkward, "Aw, come on, Akane! Don't cry! I didn't mean it to make you upset, I just meant that, in the past, you used to always hit first and ask questions later,"

"But I've changed, I'm different now…" Akane said with bright, tear filled eyes.

"And so have I," Ranma said gently, "But parts of me are the same…like, there are still some things I'm just too…embarrassed to talk about…ya' know?"

Akane's lips twitched into a little smile, and she nodded, "I know,"

Ranma opened her mouth, but could think of nothing to say, so Akane went on after a second, "But I just want you to know…I don't think there should be any secrets between us…we should be able to talk about anything…"

Ranma nodded, but said nothing. The two girls sat in silence for several seconds before Akane piped up, "So, this math homework isn't going to do itself!"

Ranma groaned loudly and receded back into the pillow. Akane poked at her and she continued to protest until Nabiki opened the door.

"Hey Akane, Ranma," she said, "Listen, Ranma, I was wondering if you wanted to come to a day spa with me tomorrow, I've got a coupon for half off a full treatment,"

"A day spa?" Ranma asked with a raised eyebrow, hoping her skepticism was enough to inform Nabiki that there was no way she'd EVER be caught dead going to a day spa.

"Uh huh, they give you the whole ordeal. Manicure, pedicure, facial mask, skin scrub, ionized shower, you know, all the good stuff. So you wanna come?" Nabiki asked enthusiastically.

"Ummm…" Ranma said, then hurriedly picked up her math book, "I'd love to Nabiki, but I can't. There's a huge test on Monday and I really need to study. Maybe next time, huh?"

Nabiki shrugged disappointedly, then suddenly brightened, "Akane, I don't suppose you'd be interested, would you?"

"It sounds great, Nabiki, but I'm busy tomorrow," Akane said, "I've got plans with someone else…"

"Oh, blow them off!" Nabiki said, "Come spend some quality time with your sister, I don't want to go alone!"

Akane fidgeted nervously and said, her cheeks tinged with red, "I-I-I can't…these plans are kind of important…"

"Suit yourself," Nabiki said dejectedly, and left the room, shutting the door behind her.

"So?" Ranma asked expectantly, having not missed Akane's little adventure into blushing awkwardness.

"So what?" Akane wondered, fully intending to take advantage of the fact that Ranma was actually holding her math book.

"So, what are you big important plans?" Ranma asked putting her math book down, much to Akane's chagrin.

"Oh, nothing, I just…didn't want to go…" Akane said unconvincingly.

"Yeah right, you're always doing that weird girly stuff," Ranma said, "So what are the big plans?"

"I thought you were always teasing me about being a tomboy," Akane wondered, trying to change the subject.

"Yeah, but that was before I met a real tomboy," Ranma said, jabbing her thumb into her chest with a smug grin.

Akane rolled her eyes at the unfairness of it and started jotting notes into her notebook.

"Well?" Ranma asked, clearly not about to be deterred from her pestilent questioning.

"Well, there's nothing to tell, okay!" Akane said without even bothering to look up, hoping she sounded both nonchalant and convincing. But the flushing of her cheeks gave her away entirely.

"Why are you blushing, are you going on a date or something?" Ranma joked, but when Akane's face only grew redder, her eyes widened and she said in awe, "Oh my Gods…you are going on a date!"

"W-what makes you say that?" Akane wondered, then gave up, "Okay, fine, I am, I have a date tomorrow, alright, geez!"

"No way!" Ranma said, an amused grin creeping across her face, "Go Akane! So who's the lucky guy?"

Akane looked down at the bed and mumbled something, a shy grin spreading across her face as she said his name.

"What was that?" Ranma asked, also unable to stop from grinning like a fool.

"Ryoga," Akane said, louder this time, looking up at Ranma and smiling, "I'm going on a date with Ryoga,"

Suddenly, Ranma's heart seemed to clench, her breath stopped, her brain felt like it had just been jolted violently, and she felt a sharp, nauseating pain as her stomach twisted into knots. Her smile dropped slowly as she comprehended what she had just heard, and soon her face wore an expression of complete confusion, disbelief, and general shock.

"S-sorry?" Ranma said, her mouth suddenly dry as she tried again to comprehend what she had just heard.

"I…I asked Ryoga out on a date…I mean, can you believe it? Ryoga…me and Ryoga, going on a date…" Akane said, grinning like a fool and completely unaware at the sudden change in Ranma's character, "I mean, he's always been sweet old Ryoga, just sort of there. I was so into you that I never even gave him a second glance, then he was there for me the whole time when we were…you know. I dunno, after a while I just started seeing him in a different light, and I definitely think I could grow to like him…no, I think I do. I think I have a crush on Ryoga," Akane giggled girlishly.

"And when were you planning on telling me this?" Ranma asked, her voice cold and harsh.

Akane looked at her in surprise, "Ranma, what's wrong?"

"I mean, I thought we were friends!" Ranma said, her voice rising along with her unexplainable anger, "Ryoga too! I thought me and him were friends, yet both of you kept this from me!"

"I only asked him earlier today…" Akane said timidly in her defense.

"And then you have the nerve to try and pull a whole 'friends tell each other things' trip on me, geez, Akane!" Ranma practically shouted.

"Ranma…I don't understand, why are you so upset?" Akane asked in genuine confusion.

"Well, it's obvious, isn't it!" Ranma shouted, jumping up from her bed.

"Well, actually…" Akane started timidly.

"I mean, I know you two! Both of you, and you're just going to be dating now!" Ranma shouted.

"So? That doesn't change anything!" Akane said in bewilderment.

"Well, yeah it does!" Ranma shrieked, throwing her arms up into the air and pacing about the room frantically, "I mean, now I'm going to be the third wheel! Every time we all hang out you two are going to be flirting and kissing and giving each other moon eyes and I'll just be there having to watch it all! The whole disgusting display!"

"Ranma, the three of us never hang out at the same time…" Akane started.

"And besides that, it's just WEIRD! I mean, I know you both, I am friends with you both! I'm used to Ryoga's pathetic little crush, but you, Akane! I thought better of you!"

"Thought better of me? What's that supposed to mean? I thought you and Ryoga were friends now?" Akane asked, starting to get angry herself.

"We are! I mean…I don't know, it's just weird!" Ranma shouted, then walked briskly towards the door and slammed it behind her saying, "I gotta go…I just…I gotta go,"

Akane stared at the door in confusion, her heart still beating with the expectation of a shouting match. She calmed down and said to herself, "What on Earth was that about?"


	18. Pairings

_Author's Note: Sorry this is kind of late, I have been run ragged lately with stuff to do! I should have done it Tuesday, but it was my birthday and I was at my Dads without access to the internet. Sorry!_

_Anyway, we get to pick up after that very strange outburst of Ranma's after learning Akane and Ryoga are going on a date! GYAH! Why did Ranma freak out like that? Perhaps we will find out…_

_Also, you get to see a side of Nabiki that perhaps you didn't know existed…;)_

_Also, it has been pointed out to me that my section separators are sometimes not there! GR AT FAN FIC! . Sorry about that, I will check from now on to make sure all my formatting stays when I upload it…please do let me know these things because after I post, I don't read it again. ;) lol_

_Enjoy!_

**Worlds Fall Apart**

**Chapter 18-Pairings**

"This is stupid…" Ranma said, pacing back and forth across the roof quickly, "This is ridiculous," She changed directions and quickened her pace, "What were they thinking? This can only end in tears! Are they both morons? No good can come of this! Honestly, what were they thinking?"

Ranma kicked at a small stone and said in growing frustration, "What were they THINKING!"

She breathed out and let her hands agitatedly bang against her hips as she continued her pacing, "I mean, Ryoga, I can see that. I get that, that makes sense, he's liked Akane since…since forever! But Akane…where did this come from? What was she thinking? Since when is Ryoga anything but her little pet P-Chan to her? Since when does Akane like Ryoga? What were they thinking?"

Suddenly, two hands gripped the edge of the roof, and Ranma started as Ryoga pulled himself up onto the roof with Ranma. "Hey, how's it goin'?" he asked naively, then tossed Ranma a small wrapped package, "Kodachi told me to give this to you,"

Ranma said nothing, but looked away and let the tiny package drop next to her.

"Good choice, it's probably poisoned or something," Ryoga said, "So, you think that psycho gymnast is ever going to give you a break?"

"What were you thinking, man?" Ranma said shortly, not turning her head to look at her friend, but continuing to stare straight ahead at the starry sky, her mind wandering back to a time before then when she had been sitting on the roof with Ryoga. They had been discussing Akane then as well, only that time, Ryoga had known it.

"Well, she probably would have gone all psycho and started trying to tie me up with her ribbon if I hadn't agreed to give it to you…" Ryoga started, then sensing how bothered Ranma was, he finished, "…and that's not what you're talking about, is it?"

"Stupid question, I _know_ what you were thinking," Ranma said, then mocked, "'Oh, my precious Akane, my lovely Goddess! She asked me on a date! I should get all starry eyed and run into a wall in my love sick buffoonity!' That's what you were thinking,"

"Buffoonity? Is that even a real word?" Ryoga couldn't help asking, then continued, slightly offended, "And hey! It wasn't like that, I haven't been that pathetic about Akane for a while…"

Ranma said nothing, just gritted her teeth and stared ahead, so Ryoga admitted, "Okay, it wasn't _exactly_ like that…but I mean…the girl I've been…well, in love with for over a year _asked me out!_ I mean, of course I went a little Dr. Tofu on her!"

Ryoga laughed and smiled, seemingly oblivious for a moment to Ranma's issues, just so ecstatic and excited about everything that nothing else seemed important. "I mean, Akane…man…I never…in my wildest dreams, well, okay, maybe in my wildest dreams…but I just, I can't believe it! It's like it's too good to be true, ya' know? Can you believe it?"

"No, really can't," Ranma said dryly.

"I've been waiting since…since, well, forever for this to happen! I had given up all hope, I had never even imagined that she might…I mean, Wow! Akane…I…Ranma? What's up? You okay?" Ryoga asked, finally noticing Ranma's rather disturbed demeanor.

"And when were you planning on telling me, huh?" Ranma asked.

"Ranma…I just got here like…five minutes ago…" Ryoga said in confusion, "How could I have possibly…"

"Ya' know, you think you know a guy, and then they go and pull something like this!" Ranma said in frustration, raising her arms in the air and acting disgusted.

"What are you talking about? In all the time that you've known me…I mean, I've liked Akane for over a year now…how can you be surprised that I accept when she asks me on a date?"

"I'm not," Ranma said chidingly, "You know, I'm not surprised at all. I expect this kind of irresponsible behavior from you, but I'm surprised Akane would sink so low as to…"

"Hey!" Ryoga said, getting angry and offended, "Akane asks me out and you are saying she's 'sinking low'? What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means…it means…" Ranma started, but she had nothing, "Shut up!"

"You know, this is pretty stupid," Ryoga shouted, standing up, "You told me you didn't care about her, you said I could have her, what are you going back on that now? Do **you** want to date her?"

"No! Of course I don't want to date her!" Ranma said, "I don't want to date anyone! I just think it's weird! It's just…man, forget it! Do whatever the hell you want!"

Ranma then jumped down from the roof and disappeared around the house and away into the night.

-break-

Ranma took another deep breath to calm herself. She swung her legs to propel the swing set forward. She had agitatedly speed walked to the park, plunked down on the swing set, and since then had begun to think a little more rationally.

_What _**am**_ I so upset about, anyway?_ She wondered as the cool night breeze rushed past her ears, _I mean, they are both my friends…which is what makes it weird…but I guess I should be happy for them. I mean, Ryoga has wanted this since…well, forever. And Akane, she deserves some happiness after everything she's been through…and it's not like _**I**_ want her or anything, so what's my problem?_

She had been thinking this through for nearly an hour now, and she had no idea why she had freaked out about it like she had. Other than the fact that the two of them were her two best friends, and it just sort of threw her whole world into a very odd spiral…_That must be it. That's all it is, it's just weird is all. And it came out of the blue, I wasn't expecting it at all, and I've been through enough changes and…_

"Ranma?" Akane's voice said timidly.

Ranma looked up and saw Akane and Ryoga approaching her, and her heart stopped, then began to beat a mile a minute. Seeing them together…it was even more awkward than imagining it, but…_It's just weird, that's all. Just something I have to get used to…_Ranma told herself firmly, _Now, swallow your stupid pride and apologize to them. You have no reason to be upset or anything, do you? No, you don't, so you'd better smooth this thing over._

"Hey guys," Ranma said sheepishly.

"Ummm…" Ryoga started nervously, "Ranma? Are you…okay?"

"I'm fine," Ranma started, "Look guys, let me just say something…"

Akane and Ryoga came a few steps closer and looked at Ranma expectantly. Ranma took a deep breath, looked between the two of them, felt her stomach twist a little, then just ignored it and recklessly carried on.

"I'm sorry. I…I overreacted. Big time. And I'm sorry," she said, not even taking note that this was one of the only times she had _ever_ apologized for anything, "I guess I was just wierded out because I didn't expect this to happen, and I've been having a lot of changes, and it finally looked like things were settling down, and then WHAM! You guys throw this at me, and I freaked out. Sorry,"

"It's…it's okay…" Akane said.

"Yeah, don't sweat it!" Ryoga said with a grin, slapping Ranma on the shoulder.

Ranma closed her eyes gently, involuntarily, and saw a blurry image of a younger Ryoga. They were standing in a park, like they were now, only this time it was just her and Ryoga. There was no Akane. Ryoga was grinning at her, like he was in the present, but in the memory, it was all about her. Ryoga was completely focused on Ranma, she was the only girl in his world. There was no Akane. That wasn't true anymore…and for some reason unknown to Ranma, it bothered her. Ranma's stomach did a few more twists as she came back from her vision.

She opened her eyes and looked at Ryoga. Then she looked at Akane. She had so taken for granted that neither of her friends would ever be taken away from her…and now they were going to be…by each other. She'd be…alone.

Ryoga frowned, sensing that Ranma still wasn't 100 okay with this all, and said, "Ranma…you sure you're okay with this…because…if you aren't…"

For half a second, Ranma imagined that she was, once again, the only girl in his life. Not like _that!_ God no, not like that! Ever. Really. Just…but she wasn't now, and that feeling left her in a flash, and she wondered if she was even important at all. _Of course I'm not,_ she told herself, feeling unexpectedly sad, _Not when Akane's around…_For a split second, she considered voicing this concern…that with Akane and Ryoga getting all lovey, she'd be forgotten about, abandoned…but she didn't. She wanted to say, "No! It's not okay! I want you two to just be my friends and not get all romantic because…because I…I just don't!" She wanted things to go back to the way they were, without any weird romances starting, when it was just them as friends, but it couldn't, and she knew it. So, instead, she just plastered on a fake smile, for once trying to think of someone other than herself, admittedly a very uncharacteristic Saotome move, but hey, a girl could change, right? It was so convincing that even Ryoga's stupid blood tie wouldn't see through it and she said, "Really, I'm fine now. It was just weird at first, but really, I'm fine. I mean, why would I care what you do, huh?"

Ryoga smiled, though in truth he had been a little offended by that last comment. _She doesn't care what I do? Gee…_ But beggars couldn't be choosers…he had Akane now, and that should be enough. That _was_ enough! All his dreams were coming true, and nothing would rain on his parade now!

"Good…I knew you'd understand, buddy!" Ryoga said with a grin. Ranma smiled back. And Akane joined the fray, then the three of them headed home, a part of Ranma silently sinking inside her.

-break-

Ranma blinked her eyes, groaned, and shut them again, trying to ignore Nabiki, who was expectantly standing in front of her and poking her. She had gotten home, tried to have some dinner, but found that she didn't have much of an appetite, then gone to bed. Not to sleep, because she had barely gotten a wink all night, and when she finally did, just as the morning light was beginning to shine, she was haunted by terribly disgusting dreams of Ryoga and Akane being all obscenely romantic and calling each other increasingly disturbing pet names. And now, Nabiki was poking her and trying to wake her up from her delirious stupor.

"Whaddyawant?" Ranma grumbled, rolling onto her back.

"Wake up, would ya'? Nabiki said, "It's after ten! Don't want to waste your whole day sleeping, do you?"

"Yeah, sure I would, that'd be nice!" Ranma said, stuffing her face deeper into her pillow.

Nabiki sighed and pulled her up and out of bed. "Come on downstairs, Kasumi has already made breakfast and she is getting ready to put it away, you don't want to miss breakfast, do you?"

Ranma shrugged, but followed Nabiki out of the room anyway. She may be exhausted, but sleep only held more disturbing dreams for her. "I'm not really hungry…" Ranma said as she left the room, then she nearly walked into Nabiki as she stopped suddenly.

"You feeling okay?" Nabiki asked with concern. Ranma was _always_ hungry.

"Sure, I'm just not very hungry," Ranma said again.

"Yeah, see, that's like, never happened. You sick or something?" Nabiki asked feeling Ranma's forehead.

"I'm fine," Ranma said, swatting her away impatiently.

"Sure, whatever you say. Look, last chance, you _sure_ you don't want to join me at that spa today? It's a real nice one! It's the one right by the park in town, by the theatre and the coffee shop all the kids go to for dates. You know it? Real classy place! They might even be able to do something with this hair of yours…" Nabiki said, grabbing a stray lock of Ranma's hair.

Ranma shook her off and said, "I've told you a thousand times! Ain't nothing wrong with my hair!"

"Whatever you say," Nabiki said unconvincingly, then started again, "But really, with such a fair complexion as yours, you really should accent your eyes with a little eye shadow and maybe some…"

Finally, Ranma had had enough, and considering the bad mood she was already in, she finally snapped. "Damnit, Nabiki, would you just quit this already?"

"What?" Nabiki wondered, blinking in suprise at Ranma's brashness.

"This!" Ranma said, "Treating me like I am some kind of hideous fashion victim or some sort of dress up doll! I'm not your stinking make over project! I am a tomboy! I don't care about hair or make up or nail treatments and stuff! I like martial arts and camping and wearing sports bras! I ain't some girly girl like you want me to be so just leave me alone, okay?"

Nabiki blinked again in surprise, looking shocked and hurt, then said quietly, in an uncharacteristically timid voice, "O-o-okay…" Then, she slowly turned and entered the dining room and sat down at the table.

Ranma sighed and followed her. _Maybe that _was_ a bit harsh…but the girl had to be stopped…_But when she got in there, she was shocked and horrified by what she saw. Nabiki was sitting timidly at the table, looking down at it, and tears were flooding her eyes. Ranma had never seen Nabiki cry. She didn't even think it was POSSIBLE! She had always been such an ice queen! Pangs of guilt and horror wrenched Ranma's already twisted gut so much that she surely would have thrown up if she had eaten in the past day, and she sat slowly down at the table, never taking her eyes off of Nabiki.

"N-nabiki?" She asked slowly, uncertainly.

"Uh huh?" Nabiki answered, her voice cracking a little despite her efforts to control it.

"Are you…crying?" Ranma asked stupidly. The answer was obvious, but she just didn't know what else to say.

"Of course not!" Nabiki said quickly, tears choking her voice as she turned violently away.

"Nabiki…I'm…I'm sorry…" Ranma said awkwardly, "Really, I am…I didn't mean to upset you, I just…"

"I was just-just-just trying to help!" Nabiki choked out, "I just wanted another girl I could be friends with, like a sister, someone who I could talk to about hair and clothes! I just wanted to help you because I knew you were going through some stuff and I thought maybe I could help you find yourself and help you be a girl, but I wasn't helping at all, was I? I was just hurting, I was just making things worse for you. I was so selfish, you probably tried to give me hints so many times, but I just so wanted another girl to be like this with that I ignored them all! You're right, I was treating you like a dress up doll, I'm s-s-sorry!"

Ranma blinked. She had never, in all her time of knowing Nabiki, seen her so…raw….so open. Nabiki had always been the tough one. The ice queen. Out to make a buck, nothing else. I mean, sure, she had tried to dress Ranma up a few times in ridiculous outfits and lingerie's, but Ranma hadn't known it was a cry for companionship…

"Nabiki…I…no, it's not your fault, it's my fault. I didn't want to hurt your feelings, but I went and did it anyway. It's just…I can't be all girly. I'm sorry, it's just not who I am, ya' know? I really appreciated that you wanted to help me, I really did, I swear! But I'm not frilly bras and panties and fluffy pink mirrors and unicorns, ya' know? I'm sorry…" Ranma said desperately, hoping to calm the poor girl down.

Nabiki sniffed and wiped away her tears, then looked up at Ranma with a small smile. "I know," she said, "I mean, I should have known. I guess, I was just hoping….I mean, Akane is also a tomboy, so I don't get to do these things with her, and you were just so impressionable, and…I'm sorry. I'm gonna stop, I'm gonna treat you like I used to now, okay?"

"Thanks," Ranma said, grinning at her.

Nabiki wiped once more at her face till all signs of her crying were gone, then she said, voice smooth and commanding once more, "But if you tell _anyone_ about this, I swear, I'll…"

Ranma laughed, "Don't worry! Like anyone'd believe me even if I did?"

Nabiki chuckled, and was gonna say something else to lighten the mood when Kasumi walked into the room. Well, more like_ fell_ into the room. She stumbled in, grinned, and said absently, "Oh my! I'm so clumsy today!" Then she giggled.

Ranma and Nabiki looked at her in alarm.

Kasumi tried to put the tea she was holding onto the table, but she nearly dropped it, instead spilling and sloshing it all over. Ranma and Nabiki jumped up to help her.

"I'm so sorry, oh dear, I'm just so flustered!" Kasumi said, a blush rising to her face.

"Flustered? Why? What happened?" Nabiki asked her sister with a raised, worried eyebrow.

"Oh, goodness!" Kasumi laughed, "Nothing bad…it's just…oh goodness…Dr. Tofu asked me out!" A huge grin lit up her face, and her cheeks flushed so red Ranma was afraid she might start bleeding out of her ears.

Ranma and Nabiki both stared at her in complete shock. Not only had the two of them rarely thought of Kasumi and dating in the same sentence, but they could hardly believe Dr. Tofu had managed to gather the nerve to finally do it!

Kasumi buried her face in her hands, clearly still grinning madly, and said, "Oh my! I just can't believe it! I always suspected he might be interested, I just…oh my!"

"Kasumi!" Nabiki said, finally finding her voice, "That's…that's WONDERFUL!"

"Yeah!" Ranma agreed, "I just can't believe it! This is awesome! Doc finally gathered the guts to do it, huh?"

"How? When?" Nabiki wondered.

"Just a few minutes ago, on the phone," Kasumi said, "He sounded so nervous, he was stuttering so much, I wasn't even sure what he had said at first! Oh my! We'll be going out later tonight! Isn't it simply amazing?"

"Yeah it is!" Ranma said, laughing jovially, then suddenly, an idea struck her, "Say, Kasumi…what are you planning on wearing?"

Kasumi looked confused for a second, then she said, "Oh…I'm not sure…it's been so long since I…I mean, I don't really have anything pretty, mostly housework clothing…Oh my…"

"Don't worry, sis!" Nabiki said, grinning and winking at Ranma, "I can help you out! I've always dreamed about the day that one of my sisters would want my help in preparing for a date!"

"Oh, Nabiki! Thank you, what would I do without you?" Kasumi said, folding her hands under her chin, he eyes glistening gratefully.

"Probably go out wearing an apron or something," Nabiki joked, then tuned to Ranma and said, "So, first Akane, now Kasumi…what about you? You have a hot date tonight?"

"No…not exactly," Ranma said, her stomach twisting again at the reminder or Ryoga and Akane.

"Well, I can hook you up if you want," Nabiki said, "Hey! Maybe you and Akane and Ryoga can make it a double! You can all go watch a move together and have some coffee!"

"Really, I'll pass. I'll pass times a million, thanks!" Ranma said.

"Suit yourself," Nabiki shrugged, then led the still flustered Kasumi out of the dining room to go start the apparently all day long search for the perfect outfit.

Ranma sat at the table, shaking her head and chuckling about the inevitable Tofu-Kasumi pairing, then suddenly, a connection formed itself in her head. Her eyed widened, and she leapt up, nearly banging her knees on the table. "Nabiki! Wait up, Nabiki!" she called, running out of the room fast as lightening, ready to put a devious and doom filled plan into action.


	19. Random Chaos Again!

_Author's Note: Hey, sorry this is so late, the busy-ness has been INSANE lately! Anyway, this chapter is insane as well! You remember the chapter near the beginning titled Random Chaos? Well, this is some MORE random chaos because, well, let's face it…that's what makes Ranma's life so darn interesting:)_

_Besides, I thought Ranma had been coming off a bit too smart in this story, and I wanted to remind everyone about his rather poor decision making skills…mixed with wicked bad luck, of course! ;) _

_Enjoy!_

_PS…In answer to the inevitable question…remember…POOR DECISION MAKING SKILLS! Ranma is very smart in a lot of things, but in many ways is not the brightest crayon in the box, especially when it comes to dealing with people and feelings. _

**Worlds Fall Apart**

**Chapter 19**

**Random Chaos (Again!)**

"So, here we are, isn't it classy?" Nabiki said as she handed a ticket to a clerk at the front desk, "What made you change your mind?"

"Well, you know, I mean, I have been really stressed lately, and a nice hot, relaxing bath might calm my nerves a bit. Loosen up my muscles," Ranma lied with a hopefully convincing grin.

"Oh Nabiki! Thank you so much for inviting me!" Kasumi said again, positively beaming and bounding up and down excitedly, "It's been too long since we've hung out and even longer since I've been to a classy spa!"

"Yeah, yeah," Nabiki said, unable to stifle a small smile, "But you're still paying for yourself,"

"And you can like, do facial treatments and stuff to get ready for your date with Dr. Tofu," Ranma suggested, hoping to sound natural. She, of course, had ulterior motives for going, but she didn't want Nabiki and Kasumi to know that. She checked her watch. It was just about 3:00PM. _Just about time…_Ranma thought, craning her head around to look out the glass paned front windows of the spa. She practically jumped out of her skin when she saw them. Ryoga and Akane. Standing in line outside the theatre. On their date.

"Ranma? RANMA?" Nabiki said loudly, trying to get Ranma's attention, "You coming? We're going to go for a dip in the tub for starters,"

"I'll…I'll catch up in a few minutes, I need to use the bathroom," Ranma said, then added, "Don't wait up, I may be a while,"

Nabiki raised an eyebrow and muttered, "Now that we have _that_ vital information…"

Ranma just watched as the two Tendo girls disappeared into the locker area to change and then quickly ducked out of the spa and stealthily ran across the street and into the theatre line. She hid her small form behind a rather large man and stared at her two friends. Akane was very pretty in a flowery sundress and a small sweater. She was wearing a little make up and had done something to her hair, but Ranma couldn't tell what, she never really paid attention to how those things were done. Ryoga looked very nice too. He had on a nice, new, collared shirt Ranma had no idea he even owned. The two of them were smiling and blushing and the whole display made Ranma want to toss her cookies.

As they reached the front, Ryoga ordered their tickets and paid. _He's paying for her? Geez! What is he, made of money? He doesn't even have a job, where does he get money from anyway?_ Ranma wondered. But within a second they had gone into the theatre, Ryoga holding the door for Akane and everything. Ranma was so busy glaring at them she barely heard the ticket vendor saying, "Next!"

"Huh?" Ranma said, then realized she was next in line, "Yeah, um, one please,"

"What movie?" The woman asked.

"Uhhh…" Ranma said, "Does it matter?"

"Yes, some movies are premiers and are different prices," The woman explained, "So, what movie?"

Ranma looked around, then said, "Erm…the two people before the fat guy…what did they go see?"

"I beg your pardon?" The woman said with a raised eyebrow.

"You know, there was a girl, pretty, in a flowered dress and a sweater," Ranma said, leaning in conspiratorially, "And a guy, good looking, collared shirt, with fangs and a tacky yellow bandana,"

"Yeah, the couple, what about them?"

"They aren't a couple yet!" Ranma said in annoyance, "It's just one date, geez! No need to marry them off or anything!"

"Riiiight," the woman said, "Look, are you gonna buy a ticket or not?"

"Yeah, I want to see what they saw!" Ranma said again.

The woman just rolled her eyes and handed Ranma a ticket, "That'll be 1100 yen,"

Ranma threw some money onto the counter and stormed through the doors, looking around frantically. She raced forwards just as she saw Ryoga escorting Akane into the theatre, and nearly got a face full of swinging door. The two of them sat near the middle of the theatre, and Ranma silently took a seat about two rows behind them, ducking behind the chair and watching them with distaste.

_Look at them…_she thought in disgust, _No shame…just sitting there, in the middle of a perfectly public place and _acting_ like that! Geez…he's offering her the popcorn! God! What a jerk, we all know what's on _his_ mind…_Ranma started as a family entered her aisle and took the seats next to her. _All I know is this _can't_ go well…I _have_ to break them up! They cannot have fun on this date or they'll go on another and soon they'll be a couple and…and…and that just can't happen! If it does…well, it'll be bad, and I'll lose both my friends, and it's only gonna end bad if they do anyway, so really I'm doing them a favor!_

The lights dimmed and Ranma watched as they adjusted themselves, and nearly fell out of her seat when Akane leaned in close and snuggled up next to Ryoga's shoulder. _That…that…hussy! On their FIRST DATE? And she complains that _I_ have no feminine modesty!_ Ranma looked around her in a panic, then her eyes fell on the little boy sitting beside her. And on his jumbo tub of popcorn.

"Hey," Ranma said in a hoarse whisper, "Hey, kid!"

The little boy looked over at Ranma with big eyes.

"Hey, gimme your popcorn!" Ranma said, reaching for the tub.

The boy cradled it to him and said, a little louder than Ranma would have liked, "No! It's mine!"

"Shhh!" Ranma said, ducking behind the seat as several people turned around, "Look, I'll give you money! Here, here's 1,000 yen!"

The boy looked at her as if she were insane (which she was) and then at the money in her hand. "Okay!" he said excitedly, causing Ranma again to dive behind the cover of the seat. When she was sure it was safe to emerge, she grabbed the popcorn, which was big enough to hide behind, and picked a kernel out of the tub. She aimed carefully and pelted Akane in the back of the head with it.

"Ow!" Akane whelped, leaning forward and rubbing the back of her head. She turned around just as Ranma dove behind the seat.

Shrugging, Akane turned back around and continued to watch the movie. Ranma tossed another piece of popcorn, this time hitting Ryoga. She dove once more out of sight. She kept this up for the greater part of fifteen minutes before they started to get so annoyed she was afraid they'd come back there. Ranma grinned deviously. Her plan was working perfectly. And as a plus, Ryoga and Akane were now comfortably seated several inches apart, arms folded defensively across their chests.

Ranma leaned back becoming a bit engrossed in the movie. It was an American film with poor dubbing. She looked at her ticket and saw that it was called Some Kind of Wonderful. She didn't know why Ryoga even agreed to go so such a stupid flick. It was clearly all about teenage romance and the angst that inevitably follows. Ranma couldn't help but wonder why, after seeing movies like this, anyone would want anything to do with love. She glanced down at Ryoga and Akane as she thought this, and nearly fell out of her seat.

The two were getting quite cozy again, and Ryoga was looking like he was about to pull the yawn and drape to put his arm around Akane's shoulder! _Not if I have any say in it!_ Ranma thought, and instinctively chucked the entire tub of popcorn at the couple, spraying them in butter and kernels. They both leapt out of their seats and turned around, just as Ranma had time to flatten herself on the theatre floor. Her heart was beating a mile a minute, and she was fairly certain she was leaning in some chewing gum, but she dared not move or even breathe!

Then, slowly, very slowly, she raised herself up high enough to peer over the seat and see that Ryoga and Akane were sitting once again, and not looking at all like they were about to get cuddly. Ranma pulled her pager out of her pocket to check the time, just to make sure she hadn't been gone to long, and just as she was horrified to see it had been an hour since she left Nabiki and Kasumi, her pager went off, beeping loudly and obscenely, and causing several people to yell, "Down in front!" Ranma stood for a split second like a deer caught in the headlights, then bolted from the theatre, disappearing only a millisecond before Ryoga and Akane turned around once again.

She stood outside, breathing heavily, and leaned against the wall. She pulled out her pager again and checked the message. Sure enough, it was from Nabiki, "Ranma, where are you?" Ranma let her head bang against the wall a few times before muttering, "This is crazy…" and then running across the street and into the spa. She raced into the changing room, took off her clothes with lightening speed, chucking them all over the place, and then wrapped a towel around herself and raced into the bath.

"Ranma!" Nabiki said as she saw her, "There you are, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry, I…" Ranma started.

"It's been nearly an hour! Are you feeling okay? Where on Earth did you go?" Nabiki asked.

"I was…in the bathroom," Ranma lied quickly.

"But Ranma, we checked the bathroom twice," Kasumi said.

"Yeah, I…wasn't in the bathroom here," Ranma said, thinking quick, "I went next door,"

"Why?" Nabiki asked in confusion.

"Well, they were all full," Ranma said quickly.

"Okay, whatever, as long as you're feeling better," Nabiki said, relaxing back into the water again.

"Yeah," Ranma said, adding a hint of sarcasm neither Tendo girl picked up on, "I'm feeling just great…"

-break-

_Man…_Ranma thought to herself as she leaned back in the tub, _Those two could be doing…anything over there! God! Ew! I need to get back over there, pronto…Awww…what am I even doing? Why am I so determined to split them up? Am I really that selfish that I can't stand to see my two best friends happy?_

Ranma sighed, then decided that not thinking about it all was the best policy. But then, she started getting horrible images of what Ryoga and Akane could be doing and…

"I gotta go…to the bathroom…again," Ranma said quickly, and jumped out of the tub, "I'll be right back!"

"Ranma!" Nabiki and Kasumi exclaimed as Ranma tore out of the steamy bath and into the changing room. But she was gone, and unfortunately, as she discovered after several minutes of frantic searching, so were her clothes!

"Oh no, oh no!" Ranma said, then, as she heard Nabiki approaching the door, and not wanting to be found and forced to explain, she did the only thing she could do. The one thing that could be expected from that chaos that seemed to ooze out of Ranma's everyday life and horribly poor decision making skills. She grabbed a towel and ran out of the spa, across the street, and back into the theatre.

-break-

Ranma often had to wonder how she got herself into these sorts of crazy situations. She had to wonder even more _why_ she got herself into these sorts of crazy situations. She had to wonder why running across the crowded street in nothing but a towel and into an even more crowded movie theatre where her two friends were getting out of a movie which she had personally caused to be an unpleasant experience had seemed like a good idea. She had to wonder why, upon seeing the two emerge from the theatre as the movie ended, diving behind a very confused man who seemed a bit too happy about a pretty girl in nothing but a towel holding onto his waist to ensure he didn't move and reveal her had seemed like the wisest course of action. And finally, she had to wonder why she persisted in this madness and stealthily followed the two across the street and into the coffee shop next to the spa she was supposed to be soaking in. Still, I might add, in nothing but a towel, which she desperately clung at.

_Okay, phase two now…coffee…this will be a lot more difficult to mess up, _Ranma thought, pushing her nagging common sense into the back of her mind. She slid into the shop and perused the small gift area off to the side, hoping the shelf she was standing behind was enough to conceal her.

Several hoots and leers from a few guys was enough to ensure her that stealth was _not_ an option in her current attire. She ducked to the ground as Ryoga and Akane turned to see what the ruckus was about. Slowly, she raised herself a little, snagging a t-shirt off the shelf and pulling it over her head, sliding the towel down to her waist. She reached out to the side and yanked a skirt off a nearby rack, as well as a hat and a pair of big sunglasses. Standing up in her borrowed Coffee House +Plus gear, Ranma stealthily made her way over to the section where Ryoga and Akane were seated, tucking her giveaway red locks under her hat as she did. She took a seat and grabbed a menu, holding it up to cover the bottom half of her face, peering over the top at Ryoga, who had just pulled out a chair for Akane to sit in.

They were seated now, about two tables up and to the right of her, Akane facing her direction, and Ryoga's back to her. Ranma wrestled with her mind to come up with an idea, something, _anything!_ Finally, a waitress came over, startling her out of her thoughts, and she grinned deviously and said, "Hey, you see those two over there?"

The waitress nodded.

"Well, it's the guys birthday. Do you do something for that? Like, sing an embarrassing song or something?"

The woman looked confused, but she nodded.

"Well, could you do that?"

"Sure, I guess," the waitress said, then seeing that Ranma was not going to order anything, she made her way to their table and took their orders.

_I haven't got much time, Nabiki and Kasumi will be wondering where I am…_Ranma thought, then quickly slid out of her chair and scurried past the counter and into the kitchen, looking about frantically for their order. Ryoga, she heard, had ordered some sort of foamy drink. Ranma found the man who was preparing it, waited until he left to get whipped cream, then took that as her opportunity to pour a variety of substances she found around the kitchen into it including hot sauce, soy sauce, curry, and cooking sake. Her job done, she slid back out into the dining area, intending to make a dart back to the spa, but she was stopped short when a tall, burly man with a managers badge stood in front of her path and said loudly, "Are you going to pay for those, miss?"

"Sorry?" Ranma said, glancing over at Ryoga and Akane to be sure their attention was not caught.

"Those clothes you're wearing…the ones you just took from our gift shop. You need to pay for them, otherwise you're stealing and I'll have to call the cops,"

"I...I…don't know what you're talking about," Ranma lied, "I was wearing these when I came in,"

"No you weren't! You were wearing a towel!" the man said, "Besides, those clothes all have our logo on them!"

"I wasn't wearing a towel!" Ranma protested, snorting at the prospect as if it were ridiculous, "Why would I go out in public in a towel?"

"She was, sir, I saw her!" A man said, giving Ranma a very lecherous look up and down, "I remember because she yanked the towel up a bit and I got a real good view of her…"

"HEY! You perv!" Ranma shouted, standing defiantly and getting ready to slap the guy, but before she got the chance, the manager tried to grab her hat and glasses. Ranma tried to push him off so her disguise wouldn't be ruined, but that just resulted in the man struggling harder, and at just about this time, all hell broke loose.

First, Ranma heard someone shout, "Someone help that boy! He's choking!" and Akane's panicked voice saying, "Ryoga? Ryoga! Are you all right?"

Then, she saw a horde of waitresses burst through the kitchen doors holding a piece of cake and singing a tacky version of Happy Birthday in very poor English. Then, an older woman began to hit the manager with her purse in an attempt to help Ranma (who she thought was a poor girl being molested by an older man) and yell, rather shrilly and loudly, "Stop! Pervert! Leave this poor girl alone!"

Ranma got nailed in the stomach with the heavy purse, giving the manager his chance to yank off both the hat and sunglasses, leaving Ranma completely exposed. Ranma looked out at the restaurant in horror and saw that everyone, except Ryoga, who was still coughing after having drunk Ranma's horrible concoction, was staring at her. The horde of waitresses in birthday hats and carrying a piece of cake stood near the table with wide eyes, the little boy from whom she had bought her popcorn was there as well, and he said to his mother, pointing at Ranma, "That's the girl who bought my popcorn for 1,000 yen!"

But worst of all, Akane was staring at Ranma with wide, confused eyes. She stared, unblinkingly, with no reaction except shock, which Ranma was certain would become mortally perilous anger if she stuck around, so she didn't, and she just darted from the restaurant and into the spa, hoping only that no one from that horrible scene of chaos had seen where she had gone.


	20. Steady

_Author's Note: _

_o.o_

…

_Please don't kill me guys…_

_I know, I am like, a week late, I am SO SO SO SORRY! Really, I am! I just, man, things have been so busy. I have like,14 credits with so much homework that I am behind on and then I have 2 jobs that refuse to listen to my hours requests and end up scheduling me for crazy long hours and stuff, and then since I live in the middle of nowhere now I finally decided to get a car and my license, so I had to go relearn how to drive with my Dad and cousin and his girlfriend and get my license (finally, I'm like, 20 and I JUST got my license!) and then start looking for a car and hoping my financial aid actually shows up and EGADS! . Life is not a breeze right now._

Anyway, here is the chapter…better late than never, right? Hopefully this wacky twist of a chapter will entertain you guys and answer some questions so that people aren't so angry with me for failing to post.

_On the plus side, things are about to get really interesting. On the down side, I have reached the end of my chapter store and so I have to write more or I wont have something to post next week. Well, here's to hoping I get the time…Enjoy!_

**Worlds Fall Apart**

**Chapter 20**

**Steady**

Ryoga was depressed. Ryoga was miserable. Ryoga was feeling as though jumping off of Tokyo Tower was a rather attractive option at this point in time. _Man…I had one chance with Akane…_ONE_ chance! And I blew it! I completely blew it…this whole date was just one big disaster…_

He glanced over. Akane was walking next to him, looking down at the ground, slightly angry. He could tell because the backs of her ears were a little red. That's what happened when she got angry. He had always known that because he had always loved her, and so he had noticed little things like that. _Great, I take a girl on a date and she gets angry…I haven't dated much, but I have a feeling that isn't supposed to happen…_

Ryoga coughed, hoping that would start a conversation. Also to get that weird taste out of his throat, a sort of peppery, hot, burning that tasted like coffee and curry. _Someone really oughta pick better chefs to run that joint…_he thought miserably But it didn't work, no conversation was started. It remained as silent then as it had been since they left that dreadful coffee shop.

"Here we are…" Akane announced suddenly, and Ryoga looked up, startled to find that they had finally made it to the Tendo Dojo.

_Now what do I do…_Ryoga wondered. He had imagined this moment a thousand times. He had imagined playing it cool and casual, "I had fun, let's do this again sometime, huh?". He had imagined being passionate and romantic and sweeping a love struck Akane off her feet into a fiery kiss. He had imagined being chivalrous and gentlemanly and opening the gate for her, then kissing her hand. But none of that seemed to work in this scenario. Ryoga sighed, then opened his mouth and began to speak, "Akane…I'm sor-"

"Ryoga, this was…interesting…" Akane said suddenly, choosing her words carefully so she wasn't blatantly lying, "But, I think dating might be a little disastrous where the two of us are concerned…"

Ryoga's mouth went dry. He had gone on one date and she was already dumping him. Not that he hadn't seen it coming. ._Man! I'm pathetic!_

"Maybe we could…ummm…try going steady instead?" Akane asked, glancing up, a slight blush tingeing her cheeks.

Ryoga stopped breathing. He blinked once, but his mind didn't compute that. He had certainly misheard her, she had actually said something like, "Perhaps I can tear your heart out and throw it to the ground then attack it with a machete?" right? He blinked again. He had misheard her…But no, his ears told him what he had heard…his ears had heard the word…_steady_…but his mind did not compute it. Ryoga blinked a third time, then tried to force some sort of verbal response.

"I…I…" he stammered, and was probably nodding or something affirmative but he honestly didn't know.

Akane smiled, that large, beautiful smile she had that Ryoga had almost forgotten the magic of since that dreadful day. "Great! So…I guess I'll see you…tomorrow or something?" Akane said, then after a second, she leaned up and kissed him on the cheek, then spun around and skipped inside.

-break-

Akane was cheerful. Despite her most definitely pending rage at that jerk Ranma, she couldn't help feeling slightly elated. Her first REAL boyfriend! She thought this with glee as she skipped up the stairs. _I mean, there was Ranma, but then she didn't count…first of all, it was all our parents…and she's a she now, so…_

All of a sudden, she stopped short, only a second before smacking into Ranma who was on her way down the stairs. When the two girls caught site of each other, a flurry of emotions and instincts ran through their heads, and so they ended up staring at each other for a good several seconds without speaking or moving. Suddenly, Akane's glee evaporated and she was filled with an intense desire to hurt something. She reached up her hand and swiftly slapped Ranma across the face.

Ranma stood for a second, stunned, as she always was after getting a slap from Akane. It was never good. Not only was most of her power in her palm (for some unexplainable reason, it seemed like that with ALL girls), she only slapped when she was REALLY upset. Usually, she just pounded things. But right then…

"OW!" Ranma said, holding her hand up to her tender cheek.

"What were you _doing_ at me and Ryoga's date?" Akane growled dangerously, in a low voice, a voice that utterly terrified Ranma.

"I was…I was…I went with Nabiki and Kasumi…spa…and…coffee! They wanted coffee…and…" Ranma tried, but it was useless. Akane's wrath would not be stopped for any reason, whether the truth or a lie.

"How DARE you!" Akane roared so loud it made Ranma's ears hurt, "How DARE you try and ruin me and Ryoga's date! What is WRONG with you? Are you really so selfish that you can't even stand to see me happy? Is that it?"

"Akane, I, lemme explain…" Ranma tried, hoping only to calm her, unsure how exactly she COULD explain.

"I trusted you! I thought you were my friend! I thought you had changed, but I was wrong! You really ARE nothing but a selfish jerk and you only care about yourself and you don't care anything about your friends! All you care is that if me and Ryoga get together then YOU won't have us both all to yourself, that's ALL you care about! Ranma you….BAKA!" Akane roared.

"But Akane, it's not like that, it's not that at all!" Ranma said.

"It isn't, is it? Then what's it like? Huh? Tell me? If you weren't there to try and ruin our date because of your own selfishness, then what was it, huh? Tell me! I'm curious!" Akane screeched so loudly Ranma had to prevent herself from plugging her ears with her fingers.

"I wasn't trying to ruin your life! Geez!" Ranma said in exasperation.

"No, just my date!" Akane said, "You don't care if I have a life, just as long as it goes the way YOU want it to! You selfish jerk!"

"Akane…" Ranma shouted again, then, seeing as she was getting nowhere, she just said, quietly, resignedly, and sincerely, "Akane….I'm…sorry…okay, I'm just…I'm sorry…"

Akane looked like she was going to roar some more about Ranma's selfishness, but Ranma just looked SO forlorn when she said that, she seemed so sincere, so genuinely upset that she had to stop…Ranma rarely made a sincere apology…

"Ranma…" Akane said, just the tiniest tinge of softness in her voice, "Why would you do that to me? I don't understand, Ranma…we're friends, right?"

"Of course! You're one of my best friends!" Ranma said.

"Then _why?_ Why can't you stand to let me be happy?" Akane asked.

"It's not that!" Ranma insisted, throwing her hands in the air at her own confusion and inability to explain her actions, both to Akane and herself.

"Then why?" Akane asked.

"I…I don't know…" Ranma admitted, "I don't know…but…I'm sorry, I really am, you gotta believe me…"

Akane sighed. Even though she was no longer in love with Ranma, she couldn't help but forgive her…she always did…

"It's…that's alright…I guess, I forgive you," Akane said.

Ranma smiled slightly, then after a moment, Akane took a breath and walked past her and towards her room.

"Sorry about your date with Ryoga," Ranma said once Akane had reached the top of the stairs, "I bet Ryoga is going to hate me if he ever finds out I ruined his only chance with you, huh?"

"What do you mean?" Akane asked.

"I mean, your date went terrible, thanks to me and my stupidness…it was your one chance and…" Ranma started, but Akane then interrupted her, a slight flush rising to her cheeks.

"We're going to try going steady…" Akane said, "We are boyfriend and girlfriend now…"

"You're…" Ranma started, but suddenly her head felt so hopelessly light and she barely heard Akane say "See you later!" and disappear into her room. Ranma either floated or fell down the stairs, she didn't know which. All she did know what this…it wasn't just a date, one stupid date. It was for real. Akane and Ryoga…they were a couple…and all Ranma knew was she felt like her entire world was falling apart.

-break-

Ranma paced back and forth. It was a bit late at night to be making calls at people's houses. She would normally go to Tofu at a time like this, she had come to trust him quite a lot, but he was out with Kasumi right now, and that meant he was no good to the world for at least another week and a half till he recovered. After Tofu she'd go to either Akane or Ryoga, but well, since they were the problem that was out of the question entirely. And so, the honor fell to the only other person Ranma felt she could trust, her oldest friend. Ukyo Kuonji.

But still, she paced outside of Ucchan's, some unknown and confusing force keeping her from going inside. Nothing seemed to make any sense to Ranma, nothing she thought or did for the past few days, ever since she had found out about Ryoga and Akane, seemed to make any logical sense to her. It was as if she had gone crazy. And she hadn't a clue why.

What was she afraid of talking to Ukyo about? She didn't even know WHAT was bothering her, so how could she be nervous about talking about it? I mean, it was just her stupid insecurities about being friendless, and that was obviously not true because here she was at Ukyo's and…

"Ranma-honey?" Ukyo said, peering out of her upper window at the frantic, pacing form of Ranma, who jumped at the mention of her name, "What's up? You look like you just saw a cat…"

"Ukyo," Ranma squeaked out, "You're home…"

"I do sorta have a business to run, so of course I'd be here," Ukyo said in confusion, "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine…" Ranma squeaked, then said nothing else.

Clearly, she was not fine, so Ukyo shook her head and went downstairs, opening up the front door and persuading the very awkward Ranma inside. Fifteen minutes and lots of okinomiyaki and green tea later and Ranma was feeling a bit more calmed down.

"So, you think you can tell me what's wrong now without babbling like a buffoon?" Ukyo asked.

Ranma sighed, "I honestly don't know why I am so upset about this, I mean, it doesn't make any sense…"

"What?" Ukyo asked, and Ranma motioned for her to take a seat and then spilled the whole story, from her initial freak out on Akane to her fears of abandonment to her nightmares of Akane and Ryoga getting all snuggly to _seeing_ them getting all snuggly to spiking Ryoga's drink to stealing the clothes at the Coffee shop to arguing with Akane on the stairs.

"And then I find out that even after all that, they didn't get broken up! They decided to see each other EXCLUSIVELY! Ryoga and Akane are a COUPLE now! Isn't that…AUGH! I dunno…sick? I don't know WHY I am freaking out, but I am and I just don't understand, Ukyo, what's wrong with me!"

"Wow…" Ukyo said, bobbing her head as she took it all in, "Just…wow…Akane and Ryoga…I…I can honestly say I never saw that one coming…"

"Me either, maybe that's my problem…" Ranma mused.

"Oh no, that's not your problem, Ranma-honey," Ukyo said as she stood up and began to clear away dishes.

"Huh?" Ranma asked, looking over at her.

"Yeah, I mean, I didn't see it coming and you don't see it ripping me apart, do you? No, you don't. You're problem is romantic interest…" Ukyo explained as if she were quite certain of what she was talking about.

"Romantic interest? That I don't have any? You think I a jealous because they are having a relationship and I have no one romantic in my life?" Ranma wondered, trying to think as if she were talking to Dr. Tofu.

"No, the problem is that you DO have a romantic interest in your life, and they are now taken…" Ukyo said, slowly getting to the point, aware that what she was insinuating was going to shock and appall Ranma, and possibly even infuriate her. _But it's the truth, I thought I had noticed this for quite some time, but now I am certain…someone's gotta tell her, the poor girl's dumb and blind sometimes…_Ukyo told herself.

"No, Ukyo, you're wrong, I have no interest n Akane. I never had any REAL interest in her at all to be perfectly honest," Ranma said, waving her hand dismissively with a slight chuckle, "Besides, she's a girl and…well, I'm a girl, so…"

"Not Akane, hon…" Ukyo said, fixing Ranma with a very meaningful glance.

"You mean…" Ranma said, her face losing all it's color and her eyes growing wide, "Ry…Ryo…Ryoga…you think I…no…no way!" Ranma laughed a little, then burst out laughing loudly, but it was an unnatural and insincere sound, and Ukyo did not join in, so Ranma stopped and said, "Well, you're wrong! I don't have any kind of feelings for Ryoga 'cept friendship, and that's that! No way, no how!"

"Ranma, honey, you are great, but you can be so blind sometimes…" Ukyo said, shaking her head, then she held up her hand and began to tick off her proofs on her fingers, "One…look down at the shirt you're wearing,"

Ranma looked down at the Okinawa T-Shirt she had gotten from Ryoga and said, "So what?"

"Who'd you get that from?" Ukyo asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Ryoga, but it wasn't like that!" Ranma insisted, "I didn't have any other shirts and mine had ice cream all over it, so he let me have it cause he never used it, that's all. It's what any friend would do,"

"That's fine, but why do you still wear it?"

"It's comfortable!" Ranma defended.

"It's tacky!" Ukyo said, "And it's made of that cheap, tough cotton like blend! Anyway, I'd understand if you wore it once in a while only, but it seems like lately, that's the only shirt I ever see you in!"

"So? I only have like, two styles of shirts, you know that! I've never been one for fashion variety!" Ranma said.

"Ranma-honey, you are missing the point," Ukyo said, "Your Chinese shirts are more comfortable, yet you wear this one. Why? Because _Ryoga_ gave it to you, whether you want to admit it or not, that's the truth of it, hon!"

"No way, you're wrong! I just like the shirt!" Ranma insisted.

"Okay, then explain to me why you talked about your training mission with Ryoga for over a week after you got home," Ukyo challenged.

"It was a TRAINING MISSION!" Ranma said indignantly, "And I am a martial artist! That's what I DO! Of course I am going to talk about it, Martial Arts are my LIFE!"

"Yeah, but you've been on training missions before, and you NEVER got that excited about them that you kept talking about them afterwards, not even after the ones where you learned a really valuable move!" Ukyo argued.

"I…no way, you're insane! You're looking under rocks! Turning perfectly normal things into…into something else! Something not normal!" Ranma shouted.

"Fine, Ranma, don't believe me if you don't want to, I'm only telling you what I see," Ukyo said, "I think you know the truth, and you will come to accept it on your own eventually. Just think on this, explain this to me if you can…why are you SO determined to keep apart Akane and Ryoga…come up with an explanation that makes more sense than mine,"

Ranma opened her mouth, but said nothing. She blinked, then looked down at the table. Ukyo had a point there, she couldn't find a good explanation, only a few lame excuses that she knew didn't hold up if she thought too hard about them. She knew her excuse that she didn't want to be abandoned was nonsense; she couldn't really lie to herself about that, not when she was on a search for the truth. It was contradictory. She stared at the table harder.

_But no way…Ukyo's crazy…I don't….I CAN'T like Ryoga…it's just…no way, it's impossible! There just ain't any way, I tell you! None! She's wrong…she has to be wrong…right? I mean…I don't like Ryoga…do I?_

"Maybe…" Ranma said, her voice quavering a little as she was about to admit something to Ukyo, something she has told herself over and over would be taken to the grave, either hers or Ryoga's, if he ever told anyone, "There's this thing that…that I haven't told anyone about…"

Ukyo perked up her head, unsure where Ranma was going with this. She was certain she was going to admit to liking Ryoga, but this didn't sound like it…

"When Doc Tofu did that spell on me…there were lots of ingredients, right? Well, Ryoga told me recently that he had to give one of the most important ingredients…and it caused there to be some sort of internal connection between us…like, we can sense each other, we know what the other is thinking or feeling, even if they are kind of far away sometimes…I was very confused about it at first, and I thought it was some weird feminine thing cause you know, girls always seemed so sensitive when I was a guy cause I was kind of sexist…well, he told me about it, and it all started to make sense…as much sense as it could make, anyway…so maybe…maybe that's it…maybe it's this funky blood connection that's making me act this way…"

Ukyo sat silently, stunned into a noncommittal state. _Wow…_she thought, _I had wondered what the thing was about Ryoga's ingredient, it seemed very strange, but I was just so worried about Ranma-honey that I didn't even bother to ask later…wow…_

"Ranma…I…" Ukyo began, "That's very…intense…"

"Weird is a better word," Ranma said, suddenly feeling very insecure and folding her arms over her chest protectively. She had goosebumps and was no longer able to look her friend in the eye.

"I dunno, it sounds very mysterious," Ukyo said, "Listen…as a girl, I know what I see, and I still think you shouldn't completely disregard my theory…I still think you might have a thing for Ryoga, but I do think you might have something here. Maybe this connection _is_ what's causing your feelings of jealousy…"

"I AIN'T jealous!" Ranma defended instantly, without any pause whatsoever, as if it were a reflex.

"Okay, sorry!" Ukyo said, "But anyway, go talk to Dr. Tofu about this, maybe he can tell you more abut it. But also, maybe you should talk to him about a more mundane explanation, not everything is magical and mystically inclined, sometimes girls just fall for guys, you know, and you need to learn that…Ranma? Ranma, are you even listening to me?"

Ranma had been listening, but soon began to zone out inexplicably, and within an instant, she was no longer in Ukyo's diner, but was sitting on a swing at a park and watching the sand stir as she propelled herself back and forth with increasing height. After several minutes, she had propelled herself with such force that she was going over the bars and wrapping the swing chain around it. Then, when she started to run out of room, she jumped off, placing a few kicks in the air, and landed gracefully on her feet.

"Show off," someone said from the slide.

Ranma turned to see the slightly younger Ryoga she remembered from middle school. He was lounging against the playground equipment and pretending to do his homework, but in reality, he had been watching Ranma.

"I ain't got no one to show off to," Ranma said as she started punching the air, "So I can't be showing off, can I?"

"I…well…I mean," Ryoga started, then a slight red flush tinged his cheeks, but Ranma couldn't figure out why, and he just stopped talking and started writing on his worksheet again.

"Besides," Ranma said cockily, "I don't need to show off, I know I'm good,"

"Big headed much?" Ryoga asked, obviously joking.

"Sometimes you just need to remind people about your skills, but it ain't showing off. That's got a bad name, you just can't let people think you're weak and useless, ya know?" Ranma said, but she wasn't entirely sure if she believed it. She did have a tendency to say things without thinking…

"I know, you're not big headed. You're really confident, yet appropriately modest…it's one of the things I…I admire most about you…heh heh," Ryoga said, and Ranma completely missed his awkwardness, completely failed to notice the blush on his cheeks and the sparkle in his eyes.

"Honestly, you come here for help and just completely ignore me!" Ukyo was saying when Ranma snapped her head a little and the world around her began to refocus. She shook herself and wondered at the slight twinge in her stomach, something she recognized more by instinct that experience. She hadn't felt that before when she was remembering Ryoga…_Man! Ukyo's gone and confused me now…now I…augh! Now I nothing! Nothing at all! Now I need to go figure out what's up with this stupid connection and why it's making me act like a crazy person!_

"Sorry, Ukyo," Ranma said, jumping up and heading for the door, "I gotta go…"

"Ranma-honey!" Ukyo called after her retreating form, but to no avail. There was no stopping Ranma when she was on a mission, and right now, she was on a mission for answers…whether she would like the answers she found or not is another story…


	21. All The Kings Horses & All The Kings Men

_Author's Note: Lateness…lameness…apologies…Enjoy anyway…_

_I'm trying to keep on track, but I am just so busy…sorry! But it WILL be finished, I PROMISE! _

**Worlds Fall Apart**

**Chapter 21**

**All The Kings Horses and All The Kings Men**

"The gigs up, Tofu!" Ranma called, her temper getting the better of her as she stormed angrily into his office. It was way past hours, but Ranma was way past confused. She would not, _could not_, rest until she knew what was going on, why she was acting that way. Knowledge would be her solace (but she didn't consider that it might complicate matters further), "Time to come clean, what'd you do to me?"

"Ranma?" Dr. Tofu asked, "It's almost ten, what are you doing here? Is everything alright?"

"No it's not alright!" Ranma practically shouted, "Ryoga and Akane are dating and I am acting like a crazy person and Ukyo's got these…these…INSANE ideas and this is all your fault because of that stupid blood connection thing, and maybe Ryoga's fault because he's an idiot, and…and…oh Gods, help me, Doc, please, I feel like my head's gonna explode, I just wanna know what's going on and why I'm acting this way and feeling this way and I know it's not Akane, but it can't be Ryoga either even though Ukyo insists it is and I know she's wrong but then why is it if not that, it's gotta be this stupid connection, right? That's making act all wacko, right?"

"Slow down, Ranma!" Dr. Tofu said, "Calm down, take a seat and tell me what's wrong, okay?"

Ranma heaved a big sigh and plopped heavily onto the sofa in Dr. Tofu's waiting room. She put her head into her hands, mussing her hair up quite a bit, then she looked up and said, "This isn't fair, Doc…haven't I been through enough? I mean, I thought all the chaos and confusion was coming to an end, but this is messing me up worse than ever…why can't I…why can't I catch a break?"

Dr. Tofu sat down next to Ranma and patted her shoulder, looking at her with soft, kind, sympathetic eyes and said, "Life is never easy, Ranma, but at least it's interesting that way, right?"

Ranma looked up at him and glared something awful.

"Calm down, I was just trying to lighten your mood," Dr. Tofu chuckled, "Why don't you tell me everything, slowly, and start from the beginning…"

-break-

Ranma lay awake in her bed. _It's been…_she checked the clock…_seven hours since my talk with Dr. Tofu…_She rolled over. It was nearly morning by now, and soon she'd hear the banging of pots in the kitchen, the always perky Kasumi would be preparing breakfast. She would go downstairs, and eat it, probably a little later than she should be awake, she was just so exhausted…maybe she'd only get up for lunch, and just not eat breakfast. Her stomach was doing so many somersaults right now she didn't know if she could handle breakfast. She felt kind of nauseous, but didn't want to get up to go to the bathroom because she was just so exhausted. Mostly mental exhaustion, but…

_Look at that…_she thought, _I went almost an entire two minutes there without thinking about it…but that's no good now, is it…I'm just as bad off as the rest of them now…just as stupid, just as hopeless…just as doomed…_

Ranma buried her face in her pillow and groaned. Why'd she have to realize it now? Why now, of all times? If it had been a few weeks ago she'd maybe have had a shot…not that she wanted one…she wasn't sure if she did. And would she really have? It's always been…

Ranma rolled back onto her back and tried to employ one of the calming meditation techniques she had learned in her martial arts training. _Okay Ranma, clear your mind…stop trying to figure this further until you have fully accepted what you already know…_Ranma's thoughts drifted back to her conversation with Dr. Tofu. He had listened to her entire story without interrupting, letting her vent, which was a dangerous, but necessary thing. Sometimes, when Ranma got started talking, she didn't know when to shut up, and so she had spilled every single little insecurity and musing, no matter how tiny or impossible it seemed now.

Once she had finished, Dr. Tofu stared at her for several seconds, considered all that he had just heard, and then pronounced, in an infuriatingly zen way, "I think I know what the problem is…"

"What?" Ranma had begged him eagerly.

"That, you need to figure out for yourself or else it will mean nothing," Dr. Tofu announced.

He had then talked through with her every single little thing surrounding the situation from Ranma's middle school years to her time with Ryoga to her time with Akane to her thoughts on her sexuality to peer pressure to her "Break Up Ryoga and Akane" escapade to her conversation with Ukyo and more. Finally, it all boiled down to one simple fact, one which no matter how hard Ranma tried to deny it now, she found herself almost laughing at the absurdity of denying it in the first place: she was in love with Ryoga.

_Okay, let's not go too far, love may be a bit strong, we haven't even had a date yet, and probably never will because now he's all moon eyed over Akane again and besides I'm still young and he's the first guy I've ever had any feelings other then, "I bet I can beat him up," for…_

But still, Dr. Tofu, without ever suggesting this, had brought Ranma to this conclusion all on her own. He called it the Socratic Method or something, but Ranma was too busy watching everything she had ever known crumble around her to be sure she remembered correctly. He had begun by asking her to name every reason she had given herself for her behavior, and had then helped her to disprove each one. He then thoroughly explained the blood tie, he even went and brought out all the books he had on such mystical ties and gave Ranma every single last bit of information on it that he could find.

Ranma thought she had him there, but then, she had made a fatal error. Dr. Tofu had called it a Freudian Slip.

"So, it's possible then, that maybe this connection is the reason I have been so disturbed by this?" Ranma asked.

"It's possible," Dr. Tofu admitted, "I mean, I can't pretend to know EVERYTHING about this, but I have never heard of any other cases where that has happened, although, granted, there are only a few others recorded,"

"Yes, but it could be this…this connection is causing my feelings of possessiveness because Ryoga and I are…I dunno, one or something, it's causing my feelings of jealousy over Akane because I am connected to him and maybe him being separated from me on an emotional level or something is making the connection strained," Ranma ventured, feeling quite proud of herself for making this assessment. And then…

"Jealousy?" Dr. Tofu asked, "That's an interesting word choice…"

Ranma blushed, "I didn't mean jealous…not like that…I meant, you know…"

But of course he knew what Ranma had meant. He knew, and Ranma hadn't. But he soon got her to see. After a while, Ranma had begun to fade, her willpower to resist seemed to be magically disintegrating, and before she knew it, she was shaking and talking about her feelings for Ryoga as though she had known that she had them for ages. When she finally noticed what she was doing, it was too late to go back…

"And all the Kings horses and all the Kings men couldn't put Humpty together again…" Ranma whispered to herself.

That's who she felt like. She felt like Humpty Dumpty. She had built up this huge shell of illusions, making herself believe she cared about or didn't care about certain things, certain people, but once she climbed up onto the proverbial wall so she could see the truth, she saw it, and it surprised her so much she fell off, and now there was no going back. Now, she could never put it back in…now she knew…

"That's the tricky thing about searching for knowledge…" Dr. Tofu had said, "It's not like searching for a rare book or a delicious soup…you can't return it if it isn't what you expected to find…once you have a certain knowledge or experience, it stays with you, and you can never truly be rid of it…"

_Oh boy, though….what I wouldn't give to return this knowledge…life was so much easier without it…_

Ranma stood up though. She tugged down at her long t-shirt (NOT her Okinawa T-Shirt from Ryoga…she had changed out of that as soon as she got home…it was just too weird now…) and kicked at her blankets on the floor. _But dammit!_ She thought as she headed towards the bedroom door, _Darned if I'm going to let this destroy me! I am going to get up, go eat breakfast, take a bath, then get on with my life! I'm Ranma Saotome! There ain't nothing I can't do, including this!_

She stalked toward the door, ready to start her day. _Besides, it shouldn't be so hard, this doesn't change anything…I'll be fine just as long as I don't have to see them…together…_

"Ranma!" Akane beamed as she and Ryoga practically collided into her as she left the room. Ranma's face lost all color as she saw them, the two of them, together, heading out of Akane's bedroom, at this absurdly early hour in the morning…

"Wha'…I…erm…You…and…" Ranma said intelligently.

"Ryoga just came over to help me with some studying," Akane explained, grinning.

"But he doesn't even go to school," Ranma said, talking to Akane as if Ryoga wasn't there.

"Yeah, but he can at least keep me company," Akane said.

"Hey, Ranma, you feeling any better?" Ryoga asked, "Nabiki told me you were sick yesterday,"

Ranma blanched, looked at Ryoga, said, "Uh…" and then looked at the floor, her face flushing bright with more shades of crimson than she thought existed. "I…" she started again, but to no avail. _Dammit! Why am _I_ choking up like this!?!?! Isn't this what Ryoga is supposed to do? Why's he all comfortable and cozy with Akane and I am here, babbling like an idiot?_

Ranma glanced up at him, but quickly looked back at the floor. She suddenly became aware of how inappropriately she was dressed, something that had never bothered her before that moment, but now it seemed devastatingly embarrassing, so she tugged at the bottom of her shirt roughly and mumbled, "Better, thanks"

"Ok…" Ryoga said, sensing that something was seriously bothering his friend, but for some reason he couldn't compute it…it was a bit more complicated than the usually strong, direct feelings…anger, annoyance, depression…_Man, what is up with her lately?_ Ryoga wondered, _Maybe this connection is fading out or something because lately, none of her feelings and stuff seem to make any sense to me…they are all jumbled and confused and I can't recognize them…_

"Hey…ummm…you wanna spar later or something?" Ryoga asked, hoping maybe he'd be able to figure out what was on his friends mind.

"Whazzat?" Ranma asked, blushing again, "Uhhh…kay…bye…"

Then, Ranma shuffled off quickly towards the bathroom, and Ryoga and Akane continued down the stairs to get the snacks they had been craving. Akane was so wrapped up in her own affairs she hadn't noticed Ranma's odd behavior one bit, and Ryoga, while also a tad self involved at present, didn't seem to have the slightest clue what was on his friends mind. It was simply a matter of inability to accept what he got from Ranma. The thought that Ranma was blushing because he was talking to her was unthinkable. The thought that Ranma was jealous and upset over seeing him coming out of Akane's room this early in the morning was sheer impossibility. The very concept that THE Ranma Saotome was devastatingly confused about her romantic feelings towards him was such a ludicrous idea in Ryoga's subconscious that he didn't even register it as a possibility. This illustrated something else Dr. Tofu had explained to Ranma about the connection, something that could work for or against the parties involved, depending on how well they learned to use it.

"The Blood Tie can be a very powerful tool, in fact, some martial arts teams have purposely created one to make them stronger against their opponents. However, it can only benefit you if you learn how to use it, and developing your senses over a course of years is the only way to fully harness the potential advantage. Without proper training, the Blood Tie is awkward, confusing, and unreliable at best. So while you and Ryoga may pick up on very intense emotions or situations, that doesn't guarantee that you will understand them or even interpret them correctly,"

"In other words," Ranma said cautiously, "He won't be able to…you know, _sense_ how I feel about him? Right?"

"Right," Dr. Tofu assured her.

_But if I keep acting like _that_ when I see him, I may as well be holding up a banner or have "I like Ryoga Hibiki" stamped on my forehead!_ Ranma scolded herself as she bathed.

"That's it!" Ranma vowed out loud, standing up and splashing water all over the bathroom floor, "I am going to get a hold of myself, starting now! I'm not going to let myself be defeated by anyone or anything! Especially this!"

But unfortunately, Dr. Tofu was not there to point out that Freudian Slip. Anyone? What Ranma then failed to realize, but would soon become all too aware of was this: She now had a new rival.

-break-

"See you later," Ryoga said as he stood in the Tendo's doorway. He blushed a little, then turned and walked off, thinking, _I shoulda kissed her or something…_

"Bye!" Akane replied, blushing and grinning as well, silently thinking, _I wish he had kissed me or something._

The two were a perfect picture of young love, fit for girly romance movies and the like. For them, it was exhilarating, for Ranma, who had accidentally seen the exchange from the hallway while she was heading into the dining room for breakfast, it was disgusting.

"Get a room," she mumbled angrily to herself.

"What's that?" Akane asked dreamily as she floated back inside.

"Nothing," Ranma answered, plastering on a fake smile, "So, Ryoga left?"

"Yeah, he said he had some things to do," Akane said.

"Yeah," Ranma said.

Then, they were met by a quite awkward silence.

Finally, Ranma broke it with, "I'll see you later,"

"Where are you going?" Akane asked.

"I've…got some things to do," Ranma replied, and then darted out the door, hoping to catch up with Ryoga.

"But…" Akane began, but finished to herself, "You haven't even had breakfast…"

Ranma, however, couldn't have eaten if she had wanted to, her stomach was twisting and turning as she jogged down the street, hoping to catch up with Ryoga and also hoping not to find him at all because she wasn't sure if she would pull another Tofu and turn to jelly, but she had had the entire bath to form her resolve not to, so she hoped that was enough. Then, she saw him, and her heart twisted inside her chest so painfully she stopped short. She took a deep breath and then jogged the last few feet until she was walking alongside him.

"Man, that was a disgusting display," she said, trying hard to sound nonchalant and uncaring.

"Huh?" Ryoga asked, then looked down and said, "Oh! Hey Ranma,"

"So…you two are going out now, huh?" Ranma asked, unsure of what else to say, "Officially? It's steady? You're an _item_?"

"C'mon, quit teasing me!" Ryoga laughed, jokingly punching Ranma in the arm. Ranma hadn't been teasing him, but she decided to go with it, it was making things easier.

"But it's so easy!" Ranma said, "Oh, look at me! I'm wittle Ryoga! I love my Akane-poo! We're gonna stay up all night hugging and kissing! Be still my heart!"

"Shut up, would ya'!" Ryoga said, jokingly trying to hit Ranma, but she dodged every attack.

"I'm just messing with you," Ranma said, then thought to herself, _Sorta…saying that kind of sucks though…man, Ryoga, you big jerk! Why'd I have to go and fall for you, huh?_

"I know," Ryoga said, "Anyway, it isn't like that,"

"Oh yeah, what's it like?" Ranma asked, not entirely certain she wanted an answer, but unable to resist asking.

"You know, it's just like before…except a lot more awkward because now I am not sure how to act. Before I knew exactly what to do around her, you know, lately I mean, anyway, now…I mean, should I try and hug her or kiss her goodbye or something or…"

"No!" Ranma said before she could stop herself, then at Ryoga's surprised glance, she added quickly, "I mean, don't rush it. Girls don't like when guys rush things, so maybe you should just, you know…not touch her for a while…"

"I guess…" Ryoga said, then added embarrassedly, "I'm way too shy to do it anyway,"

"Good," Ranma said, "I mean, yeah, that's true,"

Ryoga gave Ranma a strange look then said, "So, what's been up with you lately? You've been acting all…weird…I can sense it, but I can't figure out why,"

Ranma blanched, she hadn't been expecting such an abrupt question like that. "Oh, nothing, I've just been feeling a little…off. Maybe I'm coming down with something,"

Ryoga wondered at the fact that this was the first time he had brought up the connection without getting an angry reprimand from Ranma, and that alone was enough to tell him it wasn't nothing. _But still…I don't want to make her mad, so I guess I'd better not pry…_

"Right…" Ryoga said, then asked despite his common sense, "So, are you sure nothing's been…"

"Nothing," Ranma started, faking a smile, unaware at how uncharacteristic it was for her to do that just then, "Wanna spar?"

Ryoga raised an eyebrow, more intrigued by Ranma's odd behavior then ever, but even he wasn't dumb enough to push his luck, he could see he wasn't going to get anything out of Ranma right then. He'd have to wait until she opened up on her own. She always did. Eventually.

After they had sparred for a few hours, they collapsed into sweaty heaps on the ground in the park, trying to catch their breath. Ranma sat up and looked over at Ryoga then blurted out, rather awkwardly, since talk like this wasn't really her style, but unnervingly sincerely, "Ryoga…we'll still be friends, right? No matter what happens? No matter if you are with Akane, you'll always still be my friend, right?"

Ryoga sat up and looked at Ranma in confusion, then thought (incorrectly), _Ah! So this is what's been bothering her…_

"Of course!" Ryoga said, playfully punching Ranma in the arm and smiling, and he was completely unaware at how much this made Ranma's insides turn in somersaults, "No matter how much I care about Akane, I will always care about you just as much, you were the first girl in my life. She isn't going to replace you or anything,"

"Good," Ranma said, and didn't bother to correct Ryoga who obviously thought that there was nothing else bothering her. Also, she didn't even bother to stop herself from repeating the words, "I will always care about you just as much" and "You were the first girl in my life," in her head, didn't even listen to her common sense as it told her that's not what he meant. It just felt good to hear it.


	22. Love Is A Battlefield

_Author's Note: I am SO sorry this is late! I feel terrible, my 'once a week' promise is completely crumbling! GYAH! Anyway, midterm time is ending, and save one months worth of rent, I am pretty set for the rest of the year. That means no more all day-ers (I'm more of a day person, so all-nighters are a tad too extreme) for homework and no more 40 hour work weeks! Woot!_

_Anyway, I am reaching the peak of the story now, what might be referred to as "The Belly of the Whale" by my fellow Lit. Nerds. So, enjoy the insanity! And look forward to the renewal of my weekly updates! _

_Thanks for sticking with it so long! It's nearing an end…slowly but surely. Rather…the end is in sight, but I have no idea how many chapters away it is…could be three, could be thirty…:)_

_EDIT I actually posted this like, three days ago, but I just realized it didn't show up for some reason...Gr... I hope this fixes it... _

**Worlds Fall Apart**

**Chapter 22**

**Love Is A Battlefield**

(About 1 month later)

Ranma kicked off her shoes in the front entrance as she walked into the house. She had been out a bit later than usual and the sun had already set. Kasumi preferred that they were all back by dark so that they would be in time for dinner. In the old days, nothing could have kept Ranma from dinner, except perhaps a really important fight. Nowadays though, ever since she had realized her feelings for Ryoga, she couldn't say no when he asked her to spar with him, couldn't bring herself to leave while they were training until there was absolutely no more work to be done. She couldn't turn him down when he gave her that adorable sideways, fang-toothed grin, punched her in the arm lightly, and said, "Aw, come on! One more round! You're not afraid I'm gonna beat you, are ya'?"

Ranma chuckled to herself, then nearly fell over with shock when an agitated Akane asked, "Where have you been?"

"Akane!" Ranma breathed, reddening slightly. She couldn't help but feel guilty every time she spoke to Akane, like she was betraying her or something, even though in practice, nothing at all had changed between her and Ryoga. Heck, Ryoga didn't even have the slightest clue how she felt about him! It was especially bad when Akane talked to her after she had just been thinking about him, she couldn't help but feel as though Akane was reading her thoughts or something, as if her glare was piercing right through her head and into her brain. "Sorry, I…lost track of time,":

"Okay," Akane said, not any less agitated, "But where have you been?"

"I was at the park. Training," Ranma said honestly, "What are you, my mother?"

"Alone?" Akane asked, her voice catching slightly, but Ranma didn't notice. Ranma didn't even suspect what Akane suspected. _No, not suspect, _Akane told herself, _I trust Ryoga, I do, really. It's just…I dunno, I know it's insane, but I can't get this stupid jealous suspicious feeling out of my mind. I just know Ranma is hiding something, and then there was that time…_

Akane remembered the seemingly unimportant day when she had caught Ranma in a seemingly unimportant lie. _But no one lies without a reason…_Akane reminded herself. She had gone on an errand in town and had happened to see Ranma and Ryoga sparring in the park. Kasumi had been quite adamant about how quickly she needed the ingredients before the noodles started boiling, so she didn't stop to say hello. Later that night, way later, far after supper time, Ranma had come in, dirty and sweaty. She had clearly been sparring, that was obvious, you didn't get that dirty practicing on your own, Akane _was_ a martial artist too, she knew that.

"Hey, where've you been?" Akane asked, more of an exclamation over the fact that Ranma had missed dinner than an actual question. She knew where her friend had been, sparring in the park with her boyfriend. When she had seen them before, she thought nothing of it, they were both really strong martial artists, and she knew they were friends. Ranma and Ryoga's friendship had never worried Akane. But then…

"Me?" Ranma had replied, blushing a little and not looking Akane directly in the eyes, "I was practicing down by the woods. Working on some new moves,"

"The woods?" Akane had asked in confusion.

"Yeah, just wanted some time to practice on my own and…you know, the woods are good for that, so…"

"On your own?" Akane wondered, her suspicion being born slowly as she stared at her unexplainably flustered friend who as lying about where she had been and who she had been with for no reason she could see.

"Yeah, I just wanted some time to practice on my own," Ranma confirmed.

Since that day, Akane's suspicions, her jealousy, her doubt had all been growing. She had begun questioning Ranma incessantly. She had even, though she hated having to admit it, gone out of her way to walk by the park, sneaking past surreptitiously, trying to see if Ranma was there with Ryoga.

Ryoga never lied. When she asked what he had done all day, he said, without the slightest bit of oddness or nervousness, "I sparred with Ranma for a while, then I went to the supermarket, got some food at Ucchan's, and now I get to come here and spend time with my wonderful girlfriend,"

Akane smiled at that. Always. He was so sweet, so honest, so sincere. But Ranma…she was sneaky, backwards, and pretty stupid when it came to people. And worst of all, she was hiding something about Ryoga, and as much as Akane tried to convince herself that she was insane, she knew the truth, she knew what was going on. She wasn't stupid, she was not slow, like Ranma had often told her when she was a he. She was a fairly bright girl, she had good marks and decent test scores. But she didn't need an inkling of intelligence to see the fake smile and slight blush on the lying Ranma's dirty cheeks.

Akane's cheeks matched Ranma's in color, but hers were red in anger. A rising anger that was finally peaking, an anger that had been threatening to boil over, and now here it was.

"AUGH! RANMA YOU STUPID JERK!" Akane roared, the walls seeming to shake under her sudden outburst.

"Huh?" Ranma asked, looking genuinely surprised at the explosion.

"Stop LYING to me! I'm not stupid! What is going on? Why are you lying to me about hanging out with Ryoga? What, do you think I am blind? Do you think I wouldn't find out? You are staying out late every night, sparring with MY boyfriend, and then coming home and trying to tell me that you weren't! Would you…just…AUGH! STOP IT RIGHT NOW!" Akane roared, breathing heavily.

Ranma's heart raced, she panicked inside. She was SO not ready to deal with this.

"I…you're clearly upset about…something…" Ranma said, "So, I'll go outside and let you cool off…"

"Oh no you don't!" Akane shouted, roughly grabbing Ranma's arm and shoving her violently into the wall.

Ranma breathed in sharply as her head hit the wall. It hurt a little, but not as much as Akane's look of pure, undiluted, unfiltered jealous rage did. Akane knew. Ranma knew it, she had to know. Somehow, Akane had figured her out, and now she knew, and…_oh no…_

Akane's face screwed up in anger and she breathed out in a low, shaky whisper tinged with pure rage, close to Ranma's face, "You like him, don't you?"

"I…I…" Ranma tried, truly frightened, she had never seen Akane so angry before. Never.

"Don't lie to me you…you…don't lie! You like Ryoga! I know it! It's so obvious! I knew it! I think I knew it before you did, and now…now you're…trying to…" Akane was shaking with rage, she couldn't even get her thoughts into words, couldn't even begin to express all the feelings of anger and insecurity she was feeling.

"Akane, I…I…I don't…" Ranma tried, but it was useless, "Okay, I do. I like Ryoga, and I'm sorry, but believe me…"

"Don't you DARE try to take him from me because…because you won't! You can't! I won't ever let you!" Akane shouted.

"I wouldn't," Ranma swore, "I promise you, I would never do that to you, really!"

Akane barely computed this, still feeling insanely jealous, she blurted out, "You had better not ruin this for me! I am happy with Ryoga, and you have ruined all my happiness so far and you had better not ruin this! Besides, you haven't got a chance in hell, you know you don't. Ha! Ryoga needs a real girl, like me! Like Ryoga would ever want to be with some…some…gender switching freak like you!"

Ranma breathed in sharply as if she had been slapped. Of all the things Akane had ever said to her and done to her, this one hurt the most. She had said something like this before, back when she had just found out about being a girl, but then, it had seemed like an angry reaction, not like now. Now, Akane didn't seem like she was just trying to make Ranma feel bad, but rather like she was trying to make herself feel better, stating what she genuinely thought was a fact to rid herself of her own insecurities. She had meant it. This time, she had really meant it. And what's more, it was true.

Not really, but Ranma truly thought it was. She really had taken a beating to her self-esteem and in truth she didn't think she was worth Ryoga because of all the weirdness that surrounded her. She wasn't a real girl. She was a freak. She could never be the girl he needed, she could only be some androgynous almost female. Looks like a girl, but can never act or think like one, not really.

Ranma's eyes unexplainably started to tear, and her throat clenched. She hadn't realized that someone saying something mean to her could have affected her so much. She never would have been so hurt by something like that, not when she was a guy. But now…_But now, now I'm a girl…I really am, aren't I? Akane insults me and I cry? That's so…AUGH! I am a real girl! Damnit, if being so darn sensitive to this girl's insults, this stupid uncute girl who I THOUGHT was my friend, if her mere words can defeat me…no…_

Ranma breathed in and blinked back her tears. _No one defeats Ranma Saotome…never…never have, never will!_ She told herself firmly. She set her jaw square and looked Akane directly in the eye. Now she was mad, she was just as mad as Akane was, and she was shaking with anger and balling up her fists, but this was not a fight she would win with violence. This was a woman's fight. This was a fight that would require cunning and skill and a certain femininity that she would just have to tap into because dammit, Ranma Saotome never lost…NEVER!

"Akane…" Ranma started, keeping her voice as level as possible, trying hard not to let it shake with anger, "I am just as much of a woman as you are, I am just as good as you are, no, I am better. I had no intentions of trying to steal Ryoga from you, none at all, because I would never do that to a friend, but now…well, now I see you are not really my friend at all because a friend would trust me, and a friend would not think and say things like that to me. You think I am a freak and that Ryoga could never care about me? Well, explain to me why he spends more time sparring with me than he does with you? Huh?"

Akane blinked. She had not expected Ranma to come back, she had half expected Ranma to just let her push her around. She had expected to be hit with fists before words...Ranma had seemed so unconfident, so easily defeated lately, she had started to take advantage of it and now, Ranma was fighting back…showing some pluck she hadn't expected.

Ranma's eyes blazed with a jealous fire and competitiveness only possible in the eyes of a woman, a strong woman who didn't take any crap from anyone, and she looked Akane straight in the eye and said, no, she _swore_, "You want a fight, you got it. But you should know, I don't intend to lose…I'm Ranma Saotome, I _don't_ lose!"

And with that, Ranma roughly pushed herself out of Akane's way and stalked upstairs, finishing off the first truly confident threat she had made in a long time with enough dramatic flourish to make Akane wonder if she could really handle this. A fight with Ranma where the prize is Ryoga…

_But it's okay…Ryoga…Ryoga loves me…I…I don't have anything to worry about, right? I mean, it doesn't matter how much Ranma tries, Ryoga loves me…only me, he doesn't care about Ranma at all, right?_

_-_break-_-_break-_-_break-_-_break-_-_break-_-_break-

_Now what?_ Akane thought frantically as she paced her bedroom. She had been pacing for nearly an hour. She had hardly been able to get to sleep that night after that big blow up she had with Ranma, it had been the most intense fight they had ever had. And now, she was worried. She was worried about what Ranma might try and pull next. What would Ranma do? What _could_ Ranma do? The male Ranma was capable of almost anything, she had taken for granted that the female Ranma was weaker, less confident…but last nigt…well, it certainly didn't feel that way! Ranma would do almost anything to win a fight, she knew that. But Ranma was pretty honorable. She wouldn't fight dirty. But what was she going to do?

"I'm being ridiculous!" Akane laughed to herself. Now that it was light out, all her horrible fears of losing to Ranma seemed insane. "I should know better than anyone that you can't just make a person feel a certain way about you. This in insane, Ranma hasn't even got a leg to stand on!" Akane shook her head, dressed, and headed down to breakfast.

"So anyway, I was thinking it should be a June wedding," Nabiki was saying, "I mean, you have Summer colors, and a Western style wedding dress would look stunning on you! Especially an off the shoulder style…"

"Nabiki!" Kasumi giggled, blushing, "We've only been on a few dates, we're not getting married!"

"Yet," Nabiki said, pointing her chopsticks at her elder sister, "It's only a matter of time, trust me. Some time soon he'll be asking you to go steady, and then there'll be proposals and soon, bouncing bundles of joy,"

Kasumi giggled again, "Oh, Nabiki! Stop! You're making me blush!"

"Well, I am getting a little ahead of myself," Nabiki admitted, "But I bet he asks you to go steady soon. And then all we need is for Ranma to get a boyfriend, right?"

Ranma looked up at Nabiki, food half in her mouth, and said, "Hn?"

Nabiki grinned at her jokingly, so Ranma chewed, swallow, and said, with a very pointed look at Akane, "I'm working on it,"

Akane swallowed, her nightmares becoming more real. _She had been serious???_ Akane thought, her heart quickening. Suddenly the phone rang, and Nabiki leapt up to answer it, and just as Kasumi left to go into the kitchen Ranma and Akane looked up at each other from across the table.

"Ranma…" Akane began, unsure what to say.

"I don't hate you," Ranma said simply, "And I'm sorry for lying to you,"

Akane blinked. _Was Ranma apologizing?_ It seemed strained, yet sincere. Ranma seemed…different somehow. Akane was thrown, but seemed to mechanically reply, "Me too…sorry, I kind of flipped,"

"You really hurt my feelings…" Ranma said, a little too quickly, and this also seemed strained. As if she were trying something out, something unnatural to her.

"I know, I'm sorry," Akane said.

"But this doesn't change anything," Ranma said, "You made me feel like I was some kind of freak, like you were better than me, like you were more of a woman than I was. Whether you meant to or not, that's how you've been making me feel, and when you said that last night…I still mean it, I will take Ryoga from you,"

"But…you just…Ranma!" Akane said in shock.

"We are rivals. You and I…we are like how me and Ryoga used to be when I was a guy. Except, I actually care about Ryoga. I didn't care about you,"

Akane blanched a little. Ranma had said that just to hurt her. And it had worked. _Where did she learn that? When did Ranma get so…catty?_

"I still intend to take him from you, just so you know," Ranma said again.

Akane suddenly felt a little catty too, and she said, "Well, good luck, because I don't intend to give him up. Besides, this is a woman's fight, I don't think you are qualified to enter,"

Ranma sipped the last bit of her miso soup in silence, then stood up, and just before she left the room, she looked at Akane and said, "I think you might be surprised…"

_-_break-_-_break-_-_break-_-_break-_-_break-_-_break--break-

But right then, the one who was surprised was Ukyo. She was staring at Ranma, wide eyed, and open mouthed.

"Let me get this straight…since the last time I saw you, you realized you liked Ryoga, which, by the way, I told you so, and you formed a rivalry with Akane in which you swore you were the better woman and would take her boyfriend from her?"

"Well, basically, yes…" Ranma said, balancing her chopsticks on her fingers nonchalantly.

"Can I just ask you one thing, Ranma-honey…" Ukyo said calmly, then stood up and smacked Ranma hard with her spatula, "HAVE YOU GONE INSANE!?!?"

"Huh? Whad'dya do that for?" Ranma asked rubbing her head.

"Why would you do this to Akane? I thought you two were friends now! And anyway, how do you intend to 'steal' Ryoga from her! Trust me, it ISN'T easy!" Ukyo practically shouted.

"I thought we were friends too," Ranma said, catching herself as she felt her throat tighten, "But I guess not because apparently I am just some sort of a freak to her…"

"Ranma, I'm sure she didn't…" Ukyo began gently, but was quickly interrupted by Ranma.

"Yes she did!" Ranma practically shouted, "You weren't there, you don't know! She meant it! This is one of the only times I have ever seen her mean something like that. I never took her insults seriously because I was certain that she only said them in anger, but she really meant this, Ukyo…she meant it…"

"Ranma…" Ukyo began, but couldn't think of what to say, Ranma looked so distressed by it.

"Ukyo, I like Ryoga…a lot…I have never felt this way before, not about anyone…ever," Ranma said, looking uncharacteristically serious, "Ukyo, it is driving me insane…these feelings! They are haunting me, all day and night and…I just can't get him out of my head…it's…Ukyo, it's crazy! And I just gotta know…I don't know…I gotta see what would happen, you know? I think…I think…never mind, it's crazy, this is all crazy…"

"No, go on," Ukyo said, fascinated. Ranma seemed…different. More…real.

"It's just…and I know it sounds insane, but I can't help but feel like we had something…me and Ryoga, back when we were friends in middle school. I don't know if I am insane or it is just wishful thinking or something, but I just…I don't know, I missed it then, I guess I was too young, and I missed it before, I guess I was just too naïve, but now, I am beginning to learn more about myself, more about being a woman, and now I think I see it. I think…"

"You mean, you think Ryoga…you think he had feelings for you? In middle school?" Ukyo asked, eyes widening in shock.

"Hey, it's just a theory!" Ranma said, holding up her hands defensively.

"But still…" Ukyo said, her eyes dazing off in awe.

"Yeah, I just can't help but wonder…if I am right, and if we got cut off before anything developed…I mean…what would have happened?" Ranma mused, "But I never thought…you know even IMAGINED, barely dared to hope or dream that anything could happen. You know, now it was impossible…"

"Because of Akane?" Ukyo asked.

"Well, yes, that, and something else…" Ranma said, looking down awkwardly.

"What?"

"I wasn't a real woman," Ranma admitted, then before Ukyo got past her instant denial of the fact, Ranma explained, "What I mean is, I didn't think I was. I guess, and don't tell anyone this, but my self-esteem had kinda taken a defeat when this all happened. I guess I kind of thought I really _was_ a freak, you know? Not a woman, not a man. Not anything, just some sort of gender switching freak! That's what it seemed like. When I was a man, I turned into a girl, but I felt certain that I was really a man. Sort of. Of course, it is hard to tell yourself you are a man when you see a pretty womanly figure in the mirror. So, I went a little overboard, I guess, in reaffirming my manhood,"

"Yeesh, you sound like Tofu!" Ukyo laughed, "But go on, I think I know what you mean…"

"Well, I had gotten SO involved in trying to be manly that I guess becoming a girl again, for real though, kind of defeated ALL that work. But it wasn't that easy, I had myself convinced that even though I knew I was a woman, I didn't feel like a REAL woman, you know?"

"You felt insufficient…like you weren't really a girl because you were a tomboy, even though you had accepted that being a tomboy was okay," Ukyo suggested.

"Exactly!" Ranma said, "Well, Akane made me realize something yesterday…two things…the two things that have been standing in my way of trying to have a chance with Ryoga were gone…"

"But Ranma…" Ukyo began.

"One…Akane…I wouldn't do that to a friend, but she is obviously not my friend so…so…" Ranma started, but had to swallow, she was still very upset about Akane's insult, "Anyway, since when has boyfriend and girlfriend ever been sacred in Nerima? I mean, the whole PURPOSE of people's lives around here is to do anything and everything to get the one they love, right? So why should I back off? I mean, I'm Ranma Saotome! I ALWAYS win, but I can't win if I don't fight! And even if Akane and I ARE friends, that doesn't matter! You and Akane were friends when you were fighting for me! Well, friendly anyway. The point is, love is a battlefield in Nerima, like that American song…"

Ukyo laughed at that, "It's true I guess…here, you gotta take what you can and hold on to what you have…it's true, if I have learned one thing from living in Nerima, it is nothing is sacred, not even, no, _especially_ not love…"

"Exactly!" Ranma said, "But there was one other thing keeping me from fighting for Ryoga…and that was myself. I didn't think I was good enough. I thought that only a real woman could have a relationship, and I wasn't a real woman, so I was doomed never to have one. That's how I was thinking, you know? How could I win a woman's war if I wasn't a real woman?"

"But Ranma, you ARE a…" Ukyo started, but Ranma had already stood up so quicklyu that she knocked over her chair.

"I know! I AM a real woman, and a hell of a lot better woman than Akane is, I'd wager! I deserve Ryoga just as much as she does, even more, she ignored him for so darn long! She broke his heart so many times!"

Ukyo stared at Ranma, she had that look in her eyes. The one that meant she was determined. The one that meant she was applying a martial artists perspective to a situation. The one that meant she was approaching an issue as if it were a fight, and she just didn't lose fights. Ever. In short, Ranma wasn't playing around. _Oh my God, she really _is_ going to try and take Ryoga from Akane…_Ukyo thought.

"Well, yesterday, I realized something…as much as a tomboy as I am, I AM a real woman! I am not just any real woman, I am a STRONG woman! I am a woman, but I am faster and stronger and better and I can do anything I put my mind to! Being a tomboy doesn't make you less of a woman, it just makes you less girly and prissy. If anything, it makes you more of a woman!"

Ukyo was surprisingly moved by Ranma's determined speech and nearly jumped up and cheered her on, but instead, she kept her seat and said, "Ranma, you're right! I knew you'd figure it out eventually! Remember when I got all insecure and I started dressing in girly clothes and stuff because I thought it would make me more of a woman, that's when I figured it out, and I knew that sooner or later you'de"

"But there's only one problem…" Ranma interrupted, "I don't know how to win this kind of fight…"

"Oh…" Ukyo said, realizing why Ranma had come to her, and feeling quite honored, but...

"Ukyo, I need your help, can you train me?" Ranma asked, "You know how to fight like this, and you are a tomboy, but also a woman, and I just KNOW you can help me, you can teach me some things I can do to win, please say you'll help me, please!"

Ukyo's face fell. _Oh, Ranma…I wish I could help you, but I can't! This isn't a fight…not really…I realize that now…_

"Ranma…" she said, looking into her eyes, "I can't help you…"

"What? Why not!?!"

"For one, this isn't a fight you can force yourself to win, I realize that now! You can fight and fight but if it isn't meant to be it just won't happen! And if it is, it will happen regardless…"

"But I can help move it along!" Ranma insisted.

"Well…technically," Ukyo admitted, "But Ranma, I never won, remember? I fought for you for over a year and I never got you, NEVER!"

"But that was different!" Ranma insisted.

"Ranma…" Ukyo said, shaking her head and coming to the realization that this was just something Ranma was going to have to learn the hard way, "I can't help you, I'm sorry…"

"Dressed all girly…" Ranma said quietly, and Ukyo looked up at her, but she simply jumped up and ran out the door, "I gotta go! See you later, thanks Ucchan!"

Ukyo stared at Ranma and shook her head. The poor girl was going about this all wrong, but there was no stopping her, she knew that. Ranma would just have to live and learn…_But she'll see, this is never going to work…not unless it really was meant to happen…and who knows…maybe it was…_


	23. Am I Pretty

_Author's Note: Hahaha…the world is against me…I tried to update on time, I swear I did. But…well…Let's just say this, won't go into details, but…Family Emergency. Brother. Ecstacy. Jail. 5-10 years. Felony. $10,000 bail._

_It's all going to end up okay, and 5-10 years is not going to happen we think, probably no jail time at all. _

_Anyway, point is, I've been really busy, I had to take the whole week off of work and everything, and I am going to be moving in with my Dad in Ocala, and I STILL have a mountain of homework to do. Atleast I still have money even though I had to lend some to my brothers bond. Woot for being a work-a-holic!_

_So, things are starting to get intresting again in my crazy semi AU Ranma's a girl with the hots for Ryoga world of insanity. Welp….HAVE FUN! _

**Worlds Fall Apart**

**Chapter 23**

**Am I Pretty**

Ranma stared in the shopping mall window, looking both at her reflection and at the manikin inside. _This is crazy…_She thought, _But it might just work…_She recalled the day, almost a year ago, when Ukyo had tried dressing girly to attract her attention. And she had to admit, it had DEFINITELY worked. Seeing Ukyo all prettied up had caught her attention, and she couldn't help but notice her, couldn't help but think of her as more than her tomboy friend from childhood. And after that day, she had to admit that she had noticed two things about Ukyo. For one, male Ranma had thought of her as more of a girl than a guy. She was just a tough girl, a strong girl, a girl with impressive martial arts skills and a mean hand in the kitchen. And also, she had noticed that after that, Ukyo had been less reserved about being a girl. Her hair was neater, her clothes were nicer, and she sometimes smelled pretty. Of course, Ranma had never noticed these things in a romantically interested way, but that was because, well, various circumstances.

Maybe if I do the same…maybe it will give Ryoga some ideas…peak hi interest…make him see me as more than a tomboy, make him wonder why he finds me attractive…because darn it, I am one well built female! 

Ranma took a deep breath and barged into the clothing store. She stopped and looked at the racks of clothing, trying to figure out where to start. She guessed and started to browse through a rack of shirts, but they were so stringy and complex she couldn't even figure out how it was supposed to go on! She moved over to a rack of shirts…or were they skirts…either way it would be WAAAAY too short, she was trying to peak Ryoga's interest, not call Kuno from the Depths of Perversion to make a romanticized rape attempt.

"I don't even know where to start…" Ranma sighed quietly.

"Can I help you?" A woman asked, and Ranma looked up at her. She was a pretty girl, tall and slim, just a little older than Ranma. She was wearing stylish, yet comfortable looking clothes, and the green scarf she had draped around her neck really brought out the unique color of her eyes.

"I…I…" Ranma stuttered, "I need clothes,"

The woman raised an eyebrow, then looked down at Ranma's dirty, torn, too baggy pants and up to the Okinawa shirt she was wearing.

"I can see that…what's the occasion?" The woman asked.

Ranma chuckled ad mumbled, "War…"

"What was that?"

"Nothing," Ranma said, then blushed, "I just…I'm trying to impress a guy…but I want to impress him, not invite him to try and rape me, ya' know? Not that he would, he's so damned chivalrous…"

The woman smiled.

"And, I need something to wear to make him notice me…I always dress in guys clothes, but I guess…maybe if I wore something made for a girl…it shouldn't be girly, that's not really my style, so like, no pink or frills or heels…and nothing lacy or with little hearts or puppies on it or anything, ya' know? Something comfortable that I can do martial arts in but is still made for a girl,"

The woman smiled, draped her arm over Ranma's shoulder, and said, "I'm certain I can help you,"

And so, two hours and more money than Ranma could afford later, she was walking out of the store, laden with bags, feeling poked and prodded and a little awkward at all the attention, but feeling confident that this would help. _I looked darn cute in some of those things, if they don't make Ryoga notice me, I don't know what will!_ And so, Ranma walked into the house undetected, dropped the bags in the room, and shortly after dinner, she went to bed.

The next morning she woke up, and then bathed, but what she hadn't counted on was the battle she would face when trying to get dressed. It had all seemed so easy in theory. She had been able to shop for the clothes, buy the clothes, and that had all been so simple. But now, she faced the prospect of wearing the clothes. Clothes that were MADE for a girl. She had done it before, of course, when she was a girl in middle school. They had never been really fancy girls clothes, just her school uniform, and maybe a girls jacket in the winter. These weren't too obscenely girly, but still…things were different now.

"I can do this," Ranma told herself as she stared at the array of clothing spread across her bed, "I mean, I'm pretty, I know that, and I can make Ryoga know that too, all I have to do is dress kind of like a girl…just to make him realize I am one!"

"I'll just…I'll just start small…" Ranma told herself as she grabbed a plain blue fitted t-shirt off the bed. She had liked this one, one of the women in the store had told her it brought out her eyes. And it was comfortable. And easy to move in. Perfect.

She pulled it on over her new, slightly less sporty (but still not fully girly…no lace) bra. She then reached down and grabbed a pair of blue jean shorts and slid into them. She looked in the mirror for a good long time. It seemed…strange. She looked like a girl. Not an especially feminine one, but a girl nonetheless. She shook herself, and then turned away.

"You look fine, Ranma!" She told herself firmly, and then grabbed a brush (which the storekeeper had managed to convince her to buy. Nabiki would be happy. And probably infuriated, she had been trying for ages) and ran it through her tangled hair. Then she tied it back in its usual braid. She wasn't about to go changing her hairstyle, that'd just be too weird. New clothes were enough for now.

Ranma took one last look in the mirror, tugged at her shirt and shorts, grabbed a pair of wooden sandals she had bought and yanked the tags off of them, then headed towards the door. She took a deep breath, opened it, and set out nervously into a world that may or may not be ready to face a slightly more feminine Ranma.

-break--break--break--break--break--break--break--break-

Ranma headed down the stairs and stopped as she heard voices in the kitchen. Not just the Tendo voices, but also Ryoga's voice. Her heart stopped, and she quickly flung herself back and against the wall where she could hear what they were saying but remained out of sight.

"Will you be staying for lunch, Ryoga-kun?" Kasumi was saying.

"No, thank you Kasumi, I need to head into town and get some supplies today," Ryoga said, "I have been running short,"

"Oh, me too! I need a few things for dinner tonight," Kasumi said, then pulled out her shopping list, "Akane, why don't you go with him and you can get me some things,"

"I'd love to, Kasumi, but I have so much homework to do, I can't! I'm sorry!" Akane said.

Ranma took this as her cue, and she flung herself off the wall and managed to slow to a casual saunter just before entering the dining room, trying hard to look more confident than she felt.

"Hey everyone," she said calmly, then took a seat at the table and grabbed a plate of food and a bowl of rice, trying hard not to notice that everyone was staring at her with open mouths. "Hey, Kasumi, I'm going to head into town and get some ice cream, did you need anything?"

"Huh?" Kasumi said, then shook herself, "As a matter of fact, I do. Why don't you go with Ryoga?"

Ranma chanced a glance up at Ryoga, trying to remain cool, hoping the sun was too bright for him to see her blushing and maybe just bright enough to make her hair and eyes sparkle a little, and said, "You heading into town too?"

"I…I…yeah…" Ryoga said, unable to stop staring at his friend.

"Can I come along? Maybe we can get some sparring in when we're done shopping, huh? Loser buys the ice cream?" Ranma suggested, cheering herself on inside, she was handling this all so coolly!

"But Ranma, don't you…don't you have homework? We had a LOT of homework in English, you should really stay home and do it today," Akane said pointedly, anger rising to her cheeks.

"Done," Ranma lied.

"What! No you aren't! That's impossible! I have been working all weekend and I am not done yet!" Akane outraged.

"I started working on it in class," Ranma fabricated quickly, "So I'm done now,"

"But…but…well, if you finished it that quickly, I guess I can put mine off and come too," Akane said, glaring at Ranma.

Ranma's heart stopped, she didn't know how to handle this one.

"Akane, no! Your schooling is so important!" Kasumi scolded, "Don't put it off, you really ought to get it done now, then you can hang out with Ranma and Ryoga-kun when it is done,"

"But I…I…" Akane sputtered.

"Really Akane," Ranma said, smiling sweetly and saying, her head tilt conveying her double meaning, "I'd hate to be the reason you fail,"

Akane's face reddened with anger and she slammed down her chopsticks. "Fine, I'm going to do my stinking homework then!" she said, then stormed out of the room.

"Uhhh...see you later, Aka…" Ryoga started, but she was gone. He looked at the doorway in confusion, and then looked back over at Ranma. Ranma silently cheered. It was working! Ranma was managing to pull Ryoga's attention away from Akane and on to her! And all she had to do was buy some new clothes! Not even revealing clothes, just girls' clothes! Ukyo had been right!

"So, let's go, we can still catch the 11:00AM train," Ranma suggested, then stood up and walked away from the table. She slipped into the sandals she had stealthily left by the door and headed down the path towards the street outside the dojo with an awestruck and confused Ryoga walking behind her.

-break--break--break--break--break--break--break--break--break--break-

"Did you hit your head?" Ryoga asked suddenly.

"Wha'?" Ranma said, looking down from her position atop the fence. The two had been walking down the street in silence, and not the usual friendly silence you have when you've known someone long enough that you no longer feel weird if someone isn't talking, but the awkward silence when you both feel like you should be saying something and can't help but wonder why the other person isn't saying anything and what exactly are they thinking anyway?

"Last time you hit your head, you got all…you know…" Ryoga said, looking away from Ranma. The sun was doing that thing where it shone around her and made her eyes and hair light up and he couldn't help but notice that she was very pretty, but then his common sense gave him a silent beating because he had a girlfriend and, well, it was RANMA! It just wasn't right, it was like thinking about how pretty your sister is or something…

"I didn't hit my head," Ranma said, looking up at the sky and putting her arms up behind her neck.

Ryoga looked back up, he seemed unable to stop staring. "Did Nabiki do this to you then?"

"Do this to me?" Ranma asked, dropping her arms down quickly and stopping on the fence. She turned to face Ryoga and said, a clear sound of disappointment and hurt in her voice, "Geez! I can't look THAT bad, can I? I mean, it's not like they don't fit or have rips and stains on them or anything like my other clothes do…"

"No! No, that's not what I meant!" Ryoga said quickly, defensively holding up his hands, "You look great, really! You look really, really nice, I just…I mean…I've just never seen you wear clothes like that, they have never really been your style…"

Ranma smiled, and Ryoga wondered why she had been so happy at his compliment, Ranma never cared what others thought about her…

"T-thanks," Ranma said., "I just, I dunno…I thought it was time for a change…I mean, I AM a girl now, and some girls clothes are comfortable, ya know? I mean, I'm not gonna go around wearing frilly dresses or lacy bras or anything, but shorts like these are a lot easier to move around in than my baggy pants were,"

Ryoga gulped and looked away again. Ranma's mention of frilly dresses and lacy bras had given him some interesting mental images.

Ranma jumped down from the fence and came up under Ryoga's chest. "What'sa Matter?" She cooed in mock flirtation, "Are ya' scared of gettin' beat up by a girly girl?"

"Yeah right!" Ryoga said, pushing Ranma away playfully, "Just because you put on some girls clothes doesn't make you any different of a person,"

Ranma's smile faded a bit, and she agreed silently, and then hopped back up onto the fence. Ryoga looked at her in confusion. He had meant that as a compliment…Ranma was a cool girl, she had always been so opposed to being girly, yet now she seemed offended that he had confirmed something he had thought would make her happy. _Man, she really is turning into a girl…_Ryoga thought, _Cause she's making less and less sense…_

"Oh man! We're gonna miss our train! Come on!" Ranma said suddenly, then she leapt off the fence and started running down the street. Ryoga stared after her in rising confusion for a second, then took off after her. His friend. His friend who was a girl. His friend who now looked like a girl. His friend who was starting to act like a girl. His friend who, he noticed with a rising blush and a rising…blush…, was wearing a real bra with a silky strap that wasn't keeping everything as tightly pressed as her usual sports bras were. Ryoga was so mesmerized by Ranma's slipping bra strap as she ran in front of him that he didn't even see the pole as he slammed face first into it.

"Ryoga?" Ranma called back as she stopped suddenly, as if she had just run into a pole herself, and turned around and hovered over him. As the world came back into focus for Ryoga he saw two things. First, he saw the younger Ranma, decked out in school uniform, smiling up at him in the hall of their junior high school as the sun hit her just right and made her look stunningly pretty so that he had butterflies in his stomach to look at her. Then, as the real world came back into focus, he saw the now more mature Ranma, looking down at him as he lay on the ground.

"Have a nice trip?" she asked him with a smile. The sun was hitting her just right and Ryoga didn't have time to stop himself as he realized how stunningly beautiful she was, and he barely had time to scold himself for thinking that before he felt some all too familiar butterflies in his stomach. _Oh no…_Ryoga thought, _I'm in trouble…_

-break--break--break--break--break--break--break--break-

The cherry blossom leaves floated down around the two martial artists as they prepared to spar, a look of energy, excitement, and overall, lust, in their eyes. They rushed at each other, first sparring, then grappling, and eventually rolling down a flower spotted hill in each others arms, laughing. The young girl, in a flowery sundress with stunningly bright red hair and a perfectly proportioned body, skipped away from the handsome young man, giggling and calling, "Catch me if you can!"

"Oh, Ranma!" Ryoga called, chasing after her, "You minx!"

Ranma slipped out of his way several times, then slipped and fell to the ground.

"Oh! My ankle!" She whined, "It hurts!"

Ryoga cradled the poor girl whose bright eyes were glistening with tears in his arms, "Let me kiss you and make it better…"

"Oh, would you?" Ranma said, and the two were now rolling on the ground in a lip locked embrace, and…

"AUUUUUUUUGH! NOT IF I CAN HELP IT!" Akane screamed, jumping up from her desk. She had been trying all day to do her homework, but every time she did, she formulated increasingly ridiculous ideas in her head about what that shameless hussy was doing with her boyfriend right then. It had been several hours since they had left, how damn long did it take to buy a few things, eat some ice cream, and come back? It was past lunch by now!

"That is IT!" Akane swore, slamming shut her math book and jumping up from her desk, "I am going to go into town and break up that little tryst before Ranma sinks her claws into MY boyfriend!"

Akane stormed downstairs angrily, and just as she reached the foyer, Ranma came in through the front door, finding herself face to face with, yet again, an angry Akane.

"YOU!" Akane growled at Ranma, "Where's Ryoga?"

"He went home," Ranma said with a shrug, then added with a wicked grin, "We had quite a work out, I really tired him out,"

Akane looked at Ranma, clearly livid.

"But don't worry, _maybe_ he'll have enough energy to come over here and sit around with you…heh…how exciting that must be for him," Ranma said, unsure when she had become so crafty with words. Then she sauntered past Akane and towards the stairs, stopping just as she put her hand on the railing, "Oh no!"

Akane turned and looked at her, angry, fuming, ticking like a bomb ready to explode.

"I think…" Ranma said, pointedly looking at Akane, "I think I left my bra in his tent!"

Akane's face reddened even more with anger, but Ranma simply skipped upstairs, her annoying little cocky mannerisms all showing that she was confidant she would defeat her opponent. Akane growled, low at first, then as her anger peaked, she roared, "RAAAANMA!!!!!!!" and slammed her fist angrily through the wall. _Damnit…_she thought, shaking and breathing heavily, _She's gonna win…_

-break--break--break--break--break--break--break--break-

_Damnit, she's gonna win…_Ranma thought as she plopped down on the bed, not feeling near as confident as she had acted. Of course, Ranma and Ryoga had not spent any time doing any of the things Ranma had insinuated. Of course, Akane knew that, but just hearing Ranma say it was annoying enough.

No, what they HAD done was get onto a crowded train where they could barely breath, let alone talk, walk through the town picking up supplies for Ryoga and groceries for Kasumi, then sit in the park eating ice cream where Ranma listened to Ryoga worry about Akane for over an hour. Then they had sparred and went home. Woo. Big day. It was no different than what they had done every other day.

_The only difference, _Ranma reminded herself with a small smile, _Is that Ryoga definitely noticed me, at least a little. He said I was pretty! That's something, right?_

But what Ranma didn't realize was that it was more than something. Ryoga had been harshly reminded of some things from his past…certain feelings he had tried hard to forget had ever existed. Certain feelings he was currently swearing to himself didn't exist anymore. Certain feelings that Ranma dared not believe existed at all because she didn't want to get her hopes up that she really had a fighting chance.

But she did have a fighting chance, no matter what she, Akane, or Ryoga told each other or themselves. And still, Ranma continued to fight over the next several weeks, snagging time with Ryoga whenever she could convince him to leave Akane's side, and Akane pulling the girlfriend card whenever she could to keep Ryoga by her. Ranma perfected the art of flirting while Akane did more things more often that would make her the "perfect girlfriend". And Ryoga, the poor sap, was being torn in two, inside and out, between the two girls, and he didn't even know what the HECK was going on, only that his life had clearly taken a turn for the more complicated.


	24. Weapons

_Author's Note: Hey guys! Am I late? I can't even really tell…gah. I think I must be behind…anyway, enjoy this chapter and I will try like hell to get the next one out to you on time! Things are just oober busy right now. I am finishing classes and trying to move at the same time. Gr. Well, enjoy!_

**Worlds Fall Apart**

**Chapter 24**

**Weapons**

"Oh, come on! What sounds more fun, a trip into town to check out that new martial arts store, or spending quality time with your girlfriends homework? Huh?" Ranma asked one day about three weeks later as she and Ryoga walked along through the streets of Nerima.

"It's not that…simple," Ryoga said, looking away with a blush, "She sounded liked she had something special planned,"

"Oh, come on!" Ranma said, "What can she possibly do for you that I can't?"

Ryoga raised an eyebrow and looked down at Ranma as if the answer were obvious. Ranma raised an eyebrow in turn, stealthily stepped a few millimeters closer and said, her voice flirtatious and just a little husky, "Well?"

Ryoga turned away and shook his head.

"Exactly," Ranma said, "How can you do it if you can't even say it? See, you won't be missing anything if you blow her off to hang out with your best friend,"

"I can too say it," Ryoga said indignantly.

"Say what?" Ranma asked coyly, a smile twitching at her lips as she watched Ryoga squirm. He was hopelessly shy, and she found it both adorable and encouraging (because as long as he stayed that way that meant him and Akane weren't doing anything with each other besides homework)

"K-K-ki…you know!" Ryoga said, blushing, "Now quit teasing me! And you know I can't blow her off!"

"But you can blow me off?" Ranma said, pouting.

"I had plans with her first," Ryoga reminded her.

"Awww, fine! Be that way," Ranma said, silently cursing but trying to remain cool on the outside, not wanting to seem psycho. She certainly had that over Akane. She was a much better actress when it came to this stuff. Akane had been acting jealous and generally sour quite a bit, and Ranma felt that was giving her an edge over her opponent.

"Besides," Ryoga said, "Our anniversary is coming up, I don't want to put her in a bad mood…again…"

"Man, it seems like that girl is always whining about something," Ranma exaggerated, then mocked, "You don't spend enough time with me! You care more about martial arts than me! You think being with me is boring! You think Ranma is prettier than me!"

"You heard that one?" Ryoga asked, blushing a little. He had gotten into a tiny argument with Akane the day before, not a big fight at all, just a tiny one that was easily smoothed over with a hug and a few reassuring words. Akane had accused him of checking out Ranma, and he had not replied correctly. The correct reply would have been, "Checking out Ranma? What? Are you crazy, she's like a sister to me! I don't think of her that way at all!" Of course, that's not what he had said.

Instead, he had paused and said, "How do you mean exactly?"

"Your eyes were glued to her…you know, her body!" Akane said, growing a little red in the face from anger and embarrassment.

Ryoga then eloquently replied, "…um…no I wasn't?"

"Don't lie to me, Ryoga!" Akane said, "You think she's attractive!"

"Well…" Ryoga had said, not remembering that when a girl said 'Don't lie to me' it really meant 'Tell me what I want to hear'. Then he said, "I'm not gonna lie…"

Akane sniffed and looked away, then said quietly, "You think she's prettier than me…"

Ryoga had then stopped acting like an idiot and his natural guy survival instinct had clicked back in. He went and put his arms around her and said, "You know I only have eyes for you…"

Ranma, of course, had heard the whole thing. She had been walking to the bath when she heard Akane make the accusation, and of course, her ears were then glued to the door. She couldn't help but notice Ryoga didn't deny that he thought she was more attractive than Akane. And so, now she decided to use it…

"But I mean, who can blame you," Ranma said, jokingly putting one hand on her hip and motioning to her buxom chest with the other, "I am a pretty fine piece of…"

"Oh, quit it," Ryoga said, his blush not lessening in the slightest.

"What, you said it yourself," Ranma laughed, coming up under Ryoga's chest and batting her eyelashes, "You think I'm pretty,"

Ryoga's blush deepened and he looked away, "Go away, would'ya?"

"Don't be shy," Ranma said, "Go on, admit it!"

"Fine," Ryoga said, "I do think you're pretty…pretty crazy,"

Ranma folded her arms and glared at him.

"Oh calm down, that's why I like ya'," Ryoga said, punching Ranma in the arm playfully, "You're a raving lunatic. It's fun, and kind of refreshing. Most girls are just plain dull,"

Ranma smiled. It was an odd, but welcome compliment. And she had thoroughly expected him to stop there, but with an awkward glance at her and some more blushing, Ryoga said, "And…just for the record, you are really pretty,"

Ranma couldn't help herself, her eyes lit up and her face beamed. She stood still for a moment while Ryoga continued walking. Then, she ran up behind him and said, deciding to go for the kill, to push her luck to its limit, "Prettier than Akane?"

Ryoga turned and looked at her with a raised eyebrow. He examined the adorable redhead standing behind him with bright eyes and a big smile. He involuntarily gave her a once over and admired everything from her wild red locks to the baggy Okinawa T-Shirt he had given her to her scratched and bruised martial artists feet inside her dirty old martial artists shoes, and despite the fact that these things would knock off points in a beauty contest for any ordinary guy, Ryoga couldn't help but admit (silently, ONLY silently) that she was an image of pure beauty, a different kind of beauty than Akane had. Akane had a sweet, innocent beauty. Ranma had a wild, strong beauty. And Ryoga wasn't sure anymore which one he preferred. He was beginning to feel like Kuno.

"You know I can't say that," he said, choosing instead to go with the safe answer. But his answer was not safe. Nor was his secret safe anymore.

As luck would have it, Nabiki Tendo just so happened to be walking through Nerima as the two old friends were chatting. Nabiki didn't miss much. But she had to see it to spot it, naturally. Now, she had long since realized how Ranma felt about Ryoga. She had, of course, figured out about Ranma and Akane's little war. She had even gathered that Ryoga was as clueless as a stump to the whole thing. She had, of course, used all this to her benefit, gaining a financial profit from the two girls lunacy, as was her standard. But she hadn't, until this moment, when she saw the momentary longing and admiration in Ryoga's eyes as he sized up his friend, realized that Ranma might actually have a shot.

"And here I thought this was the one fight she could never win…" Nabiki said to herself, "Hm….this could get a lot more interesting than it already is…with the proper motivation, of course…"

-break--break--break--break--break--break--break--break--break--break-

"Akane, of course I want to be here!" Ryoga was saying in exasperation. He and Ranma had been talking and wandering Nerima for so long that he lost track of time and barely made it fifteen minutes late to the Tendo Dojo. Akane, needless to say, was quite a bit angry about that, a little more than she had a right to be Ryoga thought. Then, she had gotten all indignant and accused him of not caring about her (ridiculous) and then of finding other things more important than her (also ridiculous, but Ryoga wondered why she had seemed so vague in this accusation, not wanting to say _what_ she thought he found more important. She just kept saying, "Other…things…"). Finally, she had gotten all teary eyed and had sat down at the table and said, with a tear choked voice that broke Ryoga's heart, "If you…::sniff:: don't want to be here, you could have just said so…instead of making me all excited that we could spend a romantic evening together…"

"Akane, please, don't cry!" Ryoga begged, sitting down next to her, "I _do_ want to be here, I just got tied up, I promise, I was looking forward to this just as much as you were,"

"Really?" Akane asked, looking up at Ryoga, and his heart ached a little, in a strange way, as he looked down at her big, tear stained eyes and smooth skin, so light under her ebony hair. A Japanese Snow White…she seemed frozen in innocence to Ryoga. She was shy, awkward, self conscious, and every bit of that was absolutely adorable. Or, it always had been…He had always thought that her overreacting, her over sensitivity, and her tendency towards violent anger and flying off the handle were sparks of her childlike strength, her unbreakable strong will. But lately…since those outbursts were directed at him, they just didn't seem so cute anymore. _But, I mean, no one likes to be yelled at…_

But that wasn't it, and deep down, he knew it…Akane was losing her glamour…she had been a dream come true, but Ryoga was beginning to see that all of her good qualities that he had gone through over and over in his head when he didn't have a chance in hell with her were really her flaws. Strongwilled? More like stubborn. Sensitive? More like whiny. He had always thought Ranma was insane when he accused her of being slow and violent and angry, but…Ryoga shook his head…you didn't think these things about your girlfriend. It just wasn't right.

But more than that, he was beginning to see that her good qualities were just as imagined. She was a martial artist, just like him, they had something in common. But Akane was no martial artist. She only practiced the art superficially. To keep in shape, and maybe out of habit. She had no passion when she fought. She sparred as if she were performing the steps to a traditional dance. There was no…heat…in her fighting. Not like Ranma. Every time Ranma and Ryoga sparred, every time Ranma practiced on her own, every time and anytime Ranma practiced, watched, or spoke about martial arts, there was a fire in her eyes as if it were the most wonderful, enlightening experience in the world. Her eyes would blaze, and she saw the world through the art. _But this isn't about Ranma…_Ryoga scolded himself.

Ryoga had always thought that Akane was adventurous, restless…that was why she was so bad with the "traditional" women's tasks, like cooking, cleaning, and sewing. Right? She subconsciously wanted 'something more', like Ryoga. But as time went on, Ryoga began to see, she wanted to be a good cook, she wanted to be a good cleaner…her role model was Kasumi, not strong women like Amelia Earhart and Mulan. And Ryoga nearly smacked himself for thinking something so horrible as this, but the only reason she couldn't clean and sew and cook was because she was genuinely incompetent at them…

"Here," Akane said sweetly, clumsily going through the tea pouring ceremony and smiling meekly at Ryoga, "I made some tea, and dinner will be out of the oven in a few minutes,"

"You cooked dinner?" Ryoga asked, forcing himself to smile back, and silently berating himself for wanting to leap to his feet and run from the room.

"Mmm hm!" Akane beamed, tilting her head and smiling as if cooking for Ryoga brought her an endless amount of happiness.

Ryoga's insides twisted, and a part of him remembered why he had fallen in love with this clumsy princess in the first place. He smiled at her, genuinely, but inside felt as though his heart were breaking. And he also felt a little jealousy and disappointment, but he had no idea why…

-break--break--break--break--break--break--break--break--break--break--break-

In the hallway, Ranma let her head quietly hit the wall. She had been listening to Ryoga and Akane's conversation, and had gotten morbidly excited when she could sense some very clear discontent from Ryoga. It was working! Ryoga was losing interest in Akane! But then…Akane had said, "Mmm hm!" in a sweet little voice, and Ranma could almost see the cutesy little face she was making, and she most definitely felt Ryoga's renewing enamour with her.

_Damn…one stupid little girly smile and she's snared him all over again…_Ranma thought with jealousy and disappointment.

"This isn't fair…I can't fight the same way as her…she's already won, that's where she fights from…" Ranma complained to no one in particular.

"It's true," Nabiki said as she came down the dark stairway, "You can't make him fancy candlelit dinners or invite him over for romantic evenings…you can't ask him to go on a date with you…you are fighting for the heart of a hopeless romantic, and you have no access to the one weapon that could win it for you…Romance!"

"And I suppose you do," Ranma said, recognizing the glint in Nabiki's eyes.

"But of course!" Nabiki said, gliding down the stairs and yanking a brochure out of her back packet. She handed it to Ranma who read the front cover.

"Fireside Resort," Ranma read, "A family friendly resort style hotel with plenty of fun activities including a full theme park, a spa, a natural hot spring, horseback riding, a game center, and more…so how's this help me?"

"Read on," Nabiki said.

"Wild roller coasters and ski trails during the day, and a romantic fireside setting for you and your honey in the evening. Fireside Resort has ranked the third most romantic setting in the Nerima District!" Ranma read.

"Exactly!" Nabiki said, "But there are so many other things to do there, you can easily get Ryoga there without any suspicion,"

Ranma beamed for a moment, then looked up and said, "And I suppose this is going to cost me?"

"Hey, nothings for free, you know that! It's a week long trip to the most romantic resort in Nerima! Plus ticket, transportation, and food prices!" Nabiki said, "But of course, the price will be very reasonable…since you're family and all…"

"Of course," Ranma said, glaring at her transparent attempt to shmooz her into buying the ticket from her.

"But obviously you won't just be paying for the ticket, you'll also be paying for me to arrange for Ryoga to be there and for the two of you to get some alone time,"

"Well, now THAT might be worth…" Ranma said, then looked at the price written on the brochure, "100,000 YEN! AUGH! I don't have 100,000 yen!"

"Of course, I am willing to work out a low interest payment plan with you…" Nabiki said.

"Fine! But…this better be worth it!" Ranma grumbled.

"Oh, it will be…" Nabiki assured her as she walked away, cackling quietly under her breath.


	25. Just the Two of Us

_**Author's Note:** o.o_

_Please don't kill me. _

_Honestly, I have a REALLY good reason for not updating for over two weeks! I got into a car accident. Not a serious one, but still, it has been really hectic and I am trying to get my car fixed because it won't drive, and the guy who hit me isn't even answering the phone for his insurance company and they won't contact the witnesses (all of which agree it wasn't my fault) until they get a hold of this guy, and meanwhile, I am stuck in my brother's ghetto ride! Gr._

_The good news is...I have finished the story! WOOT! As in, it is all written now, all I gotta do is post it! BWAHAHAHAHAHA! I am approaching the end, only a few chapters left (not gonna tell you how many exactly because then you can be surprised and be like, "Is this the end? NO! I'll kill her if she ends it here! GYAH!") But rest assured, all is settled and written and peachy._

_So, hang in there guys! Here's the next chapter in the Ranma-Verse Saga! Enjoy!_

**World's Fall Apart**

**Chapter 25**

**Just the Two of Us**

It was nine in the morning. Nabiki had arranged for a taxi to come pick up Ranma and take her to the resort, swearing she had everything taken care of. And despite Ranma's better judgment, she had believed her. She had woken up and showered. She had packed her clothes. She had done some meditation techniques. She had pep talked herself into believing she could make this week count. She had also looked at a picture of a killer roller coaster, which she was DYING to go on! Anyway, she would make this week count.

So, at 8:00 AM she had walked up to the school (for some reason Nabiki had insisted she catch the bus there) and gotten on the bus, taken the hour long drive into the mountains, into the gorgeous, natural, secluded setting with a cool, crisp breeze, warm sun, refreshing streams flowing down the emerald green sides. _This _is_ romantic! _Ranma thought, _Maybe the setting alone will work it's magic and I won't have to worry about how on Earth I am going to make this work…_

"Fireside Resort, 1 kilometer!" the driver called back to Ranma and the three other passengers on the bus. Ranma began to feel nervous. Nabiki had promised her Ryoga would be there and he would have no idea she had intended to meet him there, so it would look incredibly unintentional.

Ranma silently practiced, "Ryoga! Fancy seeing you here! I mean, of all the resorts in Tokyo, we just so happened to decide to go to this one, isn't that funny? You here all week? Me too! You're in room 311? I'm in 312! Haha! Want to go get some sushi or something?"

But when Ranma arrived, I was not a serene rehearsed greeting. The shock she felt when she stepped off the van and into the foyer was completely genuine.

"Ranma! You here for romantic weekend escape with Shampoo, yes? Oh! Shampoo so happy!" Shampoo called as she lunged at Ranma.

"And this should be an excellent place to set up the Cat Café, I bet we'll make a killing this weekend," Cologne said as she hefted a bag twice the size of her.

"Shampoo! I was told that you were coming here to be with me! How could you…RANMA! This is all your doing, isn't it? You wrote that letter and invited me just so that I could watch you lecherously attack my darling Shampoo! Well, over my dead body! I will make this week a living hell for you!"

"Ranma honey! So you got that special offer in the mail too, huh?" Ukyo called out, coming and slapping her friend on the back.

"The red haired wench! She who stole my darling Ranma! How dare you come on this private getaway of mine to infringe on my good time! I was told this hotel was to be emptied for the weekend in honor of the noble Kuno family's stay!" Kodachi shouted, laughing manically and snapping her ribbon at a bellboy.

"The pigtailed girl! My Goddess! I feared I had not figured the meaning of your coy riddle, sent to me no doubt as a test for my love for you!" Kuno said when he spotted Ranma, "And doubtless the greatest reward of all is your wish for a loving triad with the beauteous Akane Tendo!"

"AKANE'S HERE?!?!" Ranma roared, momentarily forgetting the fact that every chaotic element of her entire life were all apparently at the same resort as her, no doubt a part of Nabiki's continuingly evil schemes.

"Hey Ranma, so you found the place okay?" Nabiki asked as she walked up to Ranma with Akane, Ryoga, Kasumi, Dr. Tofu, and Mr. Saotome, Panda style, in tow.

"RANMA!" Akane said in shock, then glared as though she would throw the red head off the mountain in an instant, "Why are YOU here?!!?"

"Hey Ranma!" Ryoga said with a grin, "Akane didn't tell me you were coming along too, I thought you were going on a training mission this week!"

"Nabiki…" Ranma said.

"Have you seen the BUFFET??!?!" Saotome Panda's sign said.

"Nabiki…"Akane demanded.

"Oh, this is just so lovely, don't you think so, dear?" Kasumi said, grabbing D. Tofu's arm in excitement.

"Yes, this is really nice, Nabiki! Thank you so much for inviting us!" Dr. Tofu said.

"Nabiki…A WORD PLEASE?!!?!?" Ranma and Akane both shouted, each grabbing one of Nabiki's arms, none too lightly either, and dragging her roughly into an open ballroom.

"Calm down, girls…" Nabiki said, seeming a little shaken at the two girl's anger. Of course, it was inevitable, she knew that.

"Explain yourself…" Akane demanded.

"Now!" Ranma demanded.

"Okay," Nabiki said, smoothing her shirt and knocking Ranma's hand off her arm, "Okay…now, I know this looks bad,"

"Uh huh," Akane and Ranma agreed.

"I know it looks like I tricked you and lied to you and betrayed you both," Nabiki said, and at the increased heat in the girls' glares, she quickly went on, "But this for your own good! I promise!"

"Yeah, and how's that?" Ranma asked.

"Consider this week a sort of…final battle," Nabiki suggested as she ran her hand along the velvet covered railing near the door, "The two of you have been rivals now for over a month, considering every day a part of the fight for Ryoga. But this fight cannot go on forever, can it?"

"It can as long as this freak thinks she has a chance," Akane said.

"I ain't quittin' until Ryoga realizes he's dating a psycho and he'd be better off with me," Ranma said.

"Yeah, whatever," Nabiki waved off, "Or, you could have a final battle. End this once and for all. How does that sound? You two can stop this foolish battle and have a winner take all fight…whoever leaves this week with Ryoga's affection wins, and the other has to back off,"

"But how do we determine who has his affection?" Ranma asked.

"How's this sound? A kiss…" Nabiki suggested, and before the two girls could say anything, she continued, "Hear me out…Ryoga is a very shy boy. He is also pretty honorable and chivalrous and that. He would never kiss a girl unless he was in love with her, right?"

"Yeah," Ranma said, and Akane nodded in agreement, but secretly felt a little less confidence because they had been dating for a month and he hadn't kissed her yet. But she didn't want to turn down the idea because she knew she had a better chance since they were already together.

"Here's the rules," Nabiki said, "The first one to get Ryoga to kiss her wins, and the other has to give up her pursuit. He must be the one to kiss you; you cannot kiss him, that doesn't count. Mouth to mouth resuscitation does not count as kissing. He has to be completely sober, no slipping him sake or something. And finally, no magic or threats, and no disguises. He has to know exactly what he is doing and who he is doing it to, sound fair?"

"Perfectly," Ranma said.

"I've got this in the bag!" Akane said.

"Now, I will personally see to it that you are each given equal time with him," Nabiki began.

"How will you know if he kisses us?" Ranma asked.

"Don't worry, I have eyes around the building," Nabiki said, "Now…let the games begin!"

-break--break--break--break--break--break--break--break-

_This is so unfair…_Akane thought angrily as she sat around a very large table surrounded by a bunch of people she had expected to leave behind in Nerima, _It had sounded so perfect…I should have known not to trust Nabiki…_

"Problem's in Paradise?" Nabiki had said slyly after Ryoga had left the night of their anniversary.

"What?" Akane asked, slightly startled since the girl had seemingly come out of nowhere.

"I just can't help but notice that you and Ryoga have been arguing a bit lately…things have seemed a little…tense," Nabiki said, "He seems discontent, you seem edgy, and Ranma…well, she isn't quite as invisible in loverboy's eyes as she once was, is she?"

"Mind your own business," Akane said sourly.

"Oh, but it _is_ my business," Nabiki reminded her, blocking her path to the stairs, "Business is my business, and this is an excellent business opportunity for both me and you,"

"I don't want anything to do with your schemes, Nabiki," Akane told her primly, "They always end up bad,"

As Akane walked away, Nabiki said, "Fine, your choice, but whatever will I do with this full package to the most romantic getaway in Japan…"

"Romantic getaway?" Akane had asked, her interest piqued.

"Yes, just the two of you…"

But that's not how it was at all. No, it wasn't just the two of them. At last count, it was actually the thirteen of them. Yep. Thirteen chaotic drama bombs of the Nerima district all at the same table. Of course, Akane had expected Nabiki, Dr. Tofu, and Kasumi to be there. After all, she had to afford the trip somehow, and Dr. Tofu had seemed more than willing to buy the family package as a gift to Kasumi.

"It just isn't the same unless the whole family's there!" He had said happily.

"What about Ranma?" Kasumi had asked, "Wouldn't she like to come along?"

"Ranma will be on a training mission," Akane had said immediately, assuming that Nabiki had taken care of it all.

And yet, here she was, sitting across from her, glaring at her, and making the fact that this was supposed to be a special, romantic trip for her and Ryoga completely moot.

"Oh Ranma! I so happy you come for Shampoo!" Shampoo said, clinging to Ranma's arm.

"Get off!" Ranma growled, shaking her away, then turning to Nabiki, "So, how is it that all of you got invited anyway?"

"Oh, well, you know me," Nabiki said, "I'm a generous person, and I saw that there was such a great deal on tickets I had to tell everyone about it so we could all enjoy it!"

"And isn't is just lovely to have everyone together?" Kasumi beamed.

"Lovely…" Akane agreed acidly under her breath.

"Well, I think I'm going to go check the hotel out a bit," Ranma said, putting down her chopsticks and then saying, before Akane had a chance to interject, "Want to come Ryoga?"

"Huh?" Ryoga asked, putting down his tea cup, "Oh, sure. It's a pretty big place, we should see what they have here and find out where everything is,"

"Definitely, I can't wait to find the spa!" Akane said, a quick glance at Ranma.

"Oh, Akane," Nabiki said, "I was hoping you would help me unpack!"

"But I…" Akane began, but was interrupted.

"The bags are awfully heavy, I don't think Kasumi and I can manage on our own," Nabiki said, and recognizing that she wasn't going to win, Akane subsided and lowered her head.

"Sure, I'll help you," she agreed.

"Besides, you and Ryoga can spend some time together later tonight," Nabiki reminded her.

Ranma grimaced, but it was fine…she had firsties. She had the first few hours, at least, of the trip, with Ryoga all to herself…

"Oh Ranma! We go find most romantic spot, yes?" Shampoo asked.

"No! YOU are NOT coming!" Ranma said, panicking slightly, then she jumped up, grabbed Ryoga's arm, and ran off.

"RANMA!" Shampoo shouted, but Ranma was darting through the halls, pulling a confused Ryoga along behind her. As she turned a corner, she flung open the nearest door and jumped inside, pulling Ryoga in after her.

And so there they were, pressed up against each other inside a horribly cramped, dark janitor's closet. So close that Ryoga could feel Ranma's breath on his chest through his thin cotton shirt. So close that Ryoga could feel Ranma's chest, still heaving a little from running, pressed into him. So close that Ryoga bit his lip and prayed that Ranma didn't notice what part of him was currently pressing against her.

"Ranma?" Ryoga whispered after several minutes of silence, unsure why he was whispering, "What the…why are we in here again?"

"Shh!" Ranma said, reaching up and putting her hand over his mouth. Ranma leaned over and pushed the door open a crack, peering out cautiously. When she was sure the coast was clear, she took her hand off of Ryoga's mouth and took his hand instead, pulling him out after her.

Ryoga looked awkwardly down at his hand, wondering why he felt a strange chilling tingle go up his arm when Ranma touched him.

"Ranma…" he said quietly, his voice cracking a little. He cleared his throat and tried again, "Ranma, what the heck was that about?"

"I didn't want Shampoo to come with us…" Ranma said, then after a second she clarified, "You know, I didn't want her glomping me and going 'Oh Ranma! You date with Shampoo! Yes?' And then later Mousse would be calling me a pervert and trying to beat me up with a training potty and Augh!"

"True…" Ryoga said.

"Besides, I'd rather just spend time with you," Ranma said with a nonchalant shrug, thinking nothing about the honesty that made Ryoga twitch a little.

He looked over at her in confusion and repeating her words in his head, _Just wanted to spend time with me…?_ It was starting to sink in to Ryoga's sometimes rather thick skull. Not that he KNEW what was going on, but he was definitely starting to piece it together. Something was going on with Ranma. Ranma was acting weird. Ranma was…

"WOAH! Check it out!" Ranma said, dropping Ryoga's hand and jumping into a large, open room. The whole room was lined with mirrors, walls and ceiling. It had mats and punching bags, horses and bars, and all variety of weaponry, both sharp and not, spread across a long table against the back wall, "Oh my God! Look at this room! This is AWESOME!"

"Nope…same old Ranma," Ryoga chuckled under his breath, his momentary breakthrough crumbling back into cluelessness.

-break--break--break--break--break--break--break--break--break--break-

"So, where do you think Ryoga and Ranma went off to?" Ukyo asked with a sly grin as she helped Nabiki and Kasumi unpack. As it turned out, they actually DID have many quite heavy bags, and given Ranma and Ryoga's running off, as well as Mr. Saotome's instant disappearance as soon as the smell of fresh baked goods filled the air, it was quite a handful of work.

"I'm certain they're just running about, playing in rooms and getting into trouble," Kasumi said pleasantly and cluelessly.

"Trouble…heh," Ukyo chuckled, "That's for sure,"

Akane breathed in sharply and angrily and slammed down the stack of clothes she was holding. They were Ryoga's, and she was annoyed enough that she had to unpack _her_ boyfriend's stuff while he was off gallivanting with that hussy Ranma who she _knew_ without a doubt now was on a mission to steal him. It just wasn't fair. And Ukyo wasn't making it any better.

Kasumi looked at Akane, and then weighed Ukyo's response. She took on a concerned look then held her hand up to her mouth. "Oh…do you mean…"

"…Ranma has been interested in Ryoga for a while now…" Dr. Tofu said quietly to Kasumi, hoping Akane wouldn't hear.

She did, and Kasumi was so surprised that she said, "Oh goodness! Akane! If Ranma is interested in Ryoga…I can't believe you're comfortable with the two of them spending time alone together!"

That was enough. Akane angrily shoved Ryoga's suitcase off the bed so that his possessions sprawled everywhere, then she stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her. Kasumi looked shaken, having realized too late that it had been the wrong thing to say.

Meanwhile, Akane was fuming, storming angrily down the hall and smashing her fist so hard into the down button on the elevator that she took a chunk out of the wall. She was starting to think that agreeing to Nabiki's stupid little plan wasn't such a good idea. She was starting to think that there was no real reason she HAD to let Ranma spend time with Ryoga. She was starting to think she was going to do something about it.

-break--break--break--break--break--break--break--break--break--break--break-

Ryoga was starting to think his girlfriend was insane. He was starting to think there was more going on than he knew about. He was starting to think, as much as he hated to admit it, than maybe Akane had some reason to be jealous and angry, even if it _was_ just her nature. After all…he did seem to have an unexplainably guilty conscience.

Him and Ranma had been sparring, and when one of Ranma's kicks missed Ryoga, her foot almost went full force into the mirror, but Ryoga though quick and grabbed the neck of her shirt, pulling her back. Since he had done this so quickly and unexpectedly, even the ever-attentive Ranma had been taken off guard and had fallen backwards. So, like any gentlemen would do, he caught her. Of course, in Akane's defense, it _did_ look _extremely_ unwholesome. Ranma had landed so that Ryoga had both his arms under her back and he was leaning slightly over her. Ranma was looking up at him in surprise, and to the unknowledgeable outsider it looked as though Ryoga had just swept her off her feet and was going to embrace her in a fiery, passionate kiss.

"That was NOT my intention!" Ryoga said, for the millionth time, but he wondered why he was even bothering. Akane was in her angry, stubborn, violent, slightly shrieky mood right now, so reason or apologies wouldn't do any good.

"YEAH! WELL THAT'S NOT WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE!" Akane roared, and then added, "I can't believe you'd let her win THIS easily! Like all she had to do was throw herself at you and you go to kiss her! Geez!"

"Okay, she DID throw herself at me, but not like that!" Ryoga tried again, desperately, hopelessly, "Listen, we were sparring, she jump kicked me, I dove out of the way, and when I realized she was going to smash the mirror, I pulled her back by her shirt, and when she fell I caught her. She just landed that way, and we weren't like that for more than a few seconds! I swear!"

"Whatever!" Akane said angrily.

Ryoga was finally starting to lose his patience, "AUGH! Akane! I don't know what else to tell you! I mean, if you really don't trust me…"

"It's not you I don't trust!" Akane said, "It's _her_!"

"But…" Ryoga asked, slowly piecing everything together, "Why wouldn't you trust Ranma…"

Akane reddened. She had to say something, but the truth wouldn't do, would it? Could give Ranma an edge…

"Because Ranma ruins everything!" she said, feeling as though she were still being honest, "That girl has chaos written all over her! It follows her, and everything she touches gets destroyed! By hanging out with her, you are letting her destroy us! Is that what you want?"

"Of course not!" Ryoga said.

"Do you even…" Akane said, sniffling as her anger turned into pain, "Do you even care about me at all? Did you ever?"

"Akane!" Ryoga said, berating himself for sounding more annoyed than he had intended. But really, this was getting old…still, he started again, more gently this time, "Akane, of course I care about you…"

"But…" Akane sniffed, "Ranma…"

"Ranma and I…" Ryoga started, and only the slightest of pauses, one indiscernible to Akane, but noticeable to Ryoga, indicated that what he said was not entirely truthful, "We're just friends…that's it…that's all I want it to be, and that's all it will ever be,"


	26. Roller Coaster Ride of Love

_Author's Note: Just as things are slowing down in my life, they are reaching the "Belly of the Whale" in my RanmaVerse. The good news is, things are gonna start slowing down for Ranma and Co. too. The bad news is, they have to get crazier before they get easier…wait, that is good news. For us anyway:)_

_Well, enjoy! Only a few chapters to go…o.o_

**Worlds Fall Apart**

**Chapter 26**

**The Roller Coaster Ride of Love**

It went on this way, for almost a week. The two girls fought…not exactly fairly, but close enough. Despite Akane's earlier proclamation, she played along. After all, most of the times when Ranma monopolized Ryoga she wasn't with him anyway. Early in the morning when they would wake to train. Or if Kasumi needed help with something. Ranma was the one who was getting annoyed because Akane was DEFINITELY getting more time with Ryoga, especially since the Tendo's, Ryoga, and Dr. Tofu were sharing a suite.

Ranma, however, did not complain too much since it seemed she was making progress. There was definitely some tension between Ryoga and Akane. And hey, she had heard that blow up they had after Akane walked in on them in that compromising situation, just like everyone else in the hotel had. The funny thing, Ranma thought, was that this time, she really _was_ innocent. And, Ryoga seemed…odd? Ranma didn't know how to describe it, and wasn't even entirely sure she wasn't imagining it, but Ryoga seemed to be…could it be _catching on_? On occasion Ranma would catch him looking at her, then when she looked over, he'd blush and look away. She'd been out of the game a while, but she knew that was a good sign.

Other little things too…like when she touched him, punched his arm playfully, grabbed his hand to drag him somewhere, tapped him on the shoulder…she could feel a strange sensation coming from him, it was a strong one too because she felt it through their connection. One time, all she had done was smile at him and she could feel…she wasn't sure if she yet dared to use the phrase butterflies in his stomach. Ranma glanced up at Ryoga who was looking straight ahead and chatting with Akane. She shook her head and frowned. _Maybe I _am_ imagining it…_

Today she had not been so lucky as to score some alone time with him. She had suggested checking out the theme park, finally, since all the others were not terribly interested. They all kept on trying to induce romantic settings. Mousse bugged Shampoo. Shampoo bugged Ranma. Tofu and Kasumi kept having picnics and going for walks. Akane bugged Ryoga. Pops was nowhere to be found, probably romancing some pie. It had actually taken some convincing to get everyone to go to the theme park. Well, she hadn't tried to get _everyone_ to go, but as her luck would have it, that's what ended up happening.

"Oh Ranma!" Shampoo said as she clung onto Ranma's arm, "Roller coaster look scary! You hold Shampoo?"

"No! In ain't holdin' you! I'd prefer not to even be in the same LINE as you, but I can't seem to get rid of you!" Ranma said, shaking her off.

"Don't worry, Shampoo! You can hold onto me if you are scared! In fact, oh! I would be so honored to…" Mousse began.

Shampoo kicked him. "Shut up, Mousse! Shampoo not _that_ scared!"

Ranma shook her head. If nothing else, the two were amusing. "Hey, Ryoga, what's up?" she asked as she looked over. Akane had disappeared since she had not planned on going on the roller coaster, it was too high. Wimp. Now, Ryoga was looking up at the hills and loops and Ranma could feel he was a little nervous.

"Huh?" Ryoga said, "Nothing,"

Ranma grinned, then mocked, "Whats'a matter? You scared?"

"NO!" Ryoga said forcefully.

"Awww! Don't worry, I'll hold you if you're frightened," Ranma joked, figuring she could at least use Shampoo and Mousse's insanity to her advantage as a flirtation technique.

Ryoga rolled his eyes, but Ranma couldn't help but notice that he had become even _more_ nervous, and not just because he was about to go on one of the highest roller coasters he'd ever seen. She smiled.

"Next two!" the attendant called, and Ranma and Ryoga stepped up, stealthily escaping Mousse and Shampoo who were still arguing behind them, and for the second time that day, Ranma was glad for their insanity.

"Ready?" Ranma asked as the attendant strapped them in.

Ryoga nodded, swallowed, and said, "I haven't been on many roller coasters,"

"Aw! Come on!" Ranma teased, "Don't tell me you're scared of heights?"

"What? No!" Ryoga said, "I'm scared of the unknown…things I haven't experienced before…and girls. I'm scared of girls…but definitely not heights,"

Ranma grinned, "So…is that why you haven't kissed Akane yet?"

Ryoga looked shocked, as if he had no idea how Ranma had dragged that out of the conversation.

"She's a girl, and kissing a girl is unknown to you…right?" Ranma explained, "That's two strikes right there,"

"Well…yeah…and some other stuff," Ryoga admitted, knowing Ranma would probably realize that he was lying anyway. That connection between them was slowly and surely getting stronger, and as time went on, Ryoga couldn't help but worry more and more about which feelings Ranma was picking up.

"What other stuff?" Ranma asked, then suddenly, the old, familiar, and recently more infrequent happened: Ranma and Ryoga both stiffened up for a ride down memory lane, just as the coaster took off.

"Ryoga and Kaede sittin' in a tree!" a younger Ranma mocked, skipping around playfully in her school uniform.

"Shut up!" a shorter and more boyish Ryoga said, blushing just as deeply then as he still did now.

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Ranma continued, and then was caught off guard as Ryoga tripped her as she skipped circles around him.

"Quit it! I don't like Kaede that way! She's just my lab partner, that's all!" Ryoga said, blushing and looking away.

"Yeah, but _she_ is certainly interested in _you_!" Ranma teased.

"Well…no she's not, and even so, just because a girl is interested in me doesn't mean I'm going to kiss her," Ryoga explained.

"Why not?" Ranma asked, honestly curious as to how this strange boy's mind worked.

"Well, for one thing, it'd be awkward…and random…and we aren't even dating…" Ryoga explained, "Besides…I'd only kiss a girl I was in love with,"

Ranma opened her mouth to say something, but instead, a sharp snap in the present shook the memory off, and Ranma and Ryoga found themselves looking around in confusion since they were most definitely in a different place than they were only a minute ago.

"What the…" Ranma said, looking around at the view. They were still in the cart, but now they were no longer under the overhang, but were tipping slightly forward on the top of one of the largest hills of the coaster, with a rather breathtaking view of the whole park below.

"The roller coaster started just as we had that memory," Ryoga explained, "But I don't know why we aren't moving, I seem to remember roller coasters moving…pretty fast too,"

"We're stuck," Ranma figured out in exasperation, "Well, that's lame! And also, we're going to have to go on the roller coaster again because we missed it!"

Ryoga wasn't listening; instead, he was looking down at his dangling feet, seeming pretty perturbed. Something in that memory had bugged him, and Ranma knew exactly what. Still, she decided to play it cool, get him to admit it himself. Better battle plan.

"What's the matter?" She asked sweetly.

"Nothing," he lied.

Ranma gave him a look that clearly said resistance was futile.

Ryoga sighed. "It's what you said earlier…you asked why I hadn't kissed Akane yet,"

"Actually, I asked if you hadn't kissed her because you were scared," Ranma said, silently cheering as she employed Dr. Tofu's psycho-chiatry or whatever.

"Oh…right…" Ryoga said, the meaning of the Freudian slip not being lost on him, "Well…it's about what I said…in the memory…"

"It'd be awkward, random, you aren't even dating, you'd only kiss a girl you were in love with…" Ranma repeated.

"Yeah…well, I can't deny it would be awkward because I'd probably suck horribly at it," Ryoga said, "But we are dating, and I am pretty sure that it wouldn't be unexpected…so…"

"Are you…" Ranma started quietly, hoping this was the right time to bring it up, "…in love with her?"

"I…she's my _girlfriend!_" Ryoga said insistently.

"But are you in love with her?" Ranma asked again.

"I….Of course I…I don't know…" Ryoga admitted.

"But, you used to be," Ranma said, thinking back to the days when she was a guy and her and Ryoga were enemies.

"Yeah, I was…but the thing is…then, I was _sure_ of it. Like, I can't just say maybe I don't know what love feels like because I have been in love before, twice! I know love, I just…things with me and Akane are different now…so much has changed…"

"You've changed, she's changed, I've changed, all our family and friends have changed," Ranma agreed, "Sometimes people just grow apart…love fades away…right?"

"How would you know?" Ryoga mumbled, not trying to be mean or argumentative, just frustrated by his lack of understanding and undeniably inappropriate feelings about his girlfriend and best friend.

"Well…I guess I wouldn't," Ranma admitted, "I haven't…I haven't fallen out of…love…" She looked meaningfully at Ryoga, heart pounding, but he was still looking at his feet, so the hint was wasted.

"I just…I wanted her…I loved her, I needed her so badly…" Ryoga admitted aloud for the first time, "But when it finally happened, it wasn't all I had expected…or rather, _I_ wasn't all I had expected…Akane is the same Akane she has always been, but me…I've changed,"

"It happens," Ranma said, "I've changed too, you wouldn't believe some of the things that have changed about me,"

Ryoga shook his head, still dwelling on his own problems, so Ranma decided to take a different route and ask the question that had just popped into her mind.

"Twice? With who else?" Ranma asked.

"What'sat?" Ryoga asked, finally looking up.

"Before, you said you had been in love twice…once was with Akane…who as the other girl?" Ranma asked, hope filling her head, hope she screamed at herself was false, but she had no idea how true it was.

"I…with…never mind…don't worry about it," Ryoga replied, a deep blush overcoming his face.

"Aww! Come on! Now I _gotta_ know!" Ranma said, kicking him playfully and rocking their cart a little, "Just let me guess names, and tell me if I get it right! Okay?"

"No!" Ryoga insisted, but then as Ranma started naming names, he, like many others who have been subjected to this game, found himself playing along.

"Was it Ukyo?"

"No!"

"Kasumi?"

"What? No!"

"Shampoo?"

"Gods no!"

"Nabiki????" Ranma guessed with a grin as she became more and more amused by the game.

"NO!" Ryoga said, becoming amused despite himself.

Then, Ranma ran out of names to guess, and had only one more. She grew quiet, despite their laughter, and her silence hit Ryoga like a punch. Her quickened heart quickly filled his mind. Her nerves tasted both sweet and bitter as they completely enveloped his senses. But, even without the overpowering evidence of their connection, he knew what she was going to ask…he tried desperately to prepare, but knew it was useless. He felt like he was going to throw up.

"Was it…" Ranma started quietly, trying hard to keep her voice steady, "…me?"

Ryoga froze. His face went white and he still clung to the hope that his brain would come up with a witty and un-incriminating response, and just as he opened his mouth, unsure what would come out, a smart answer, a dumb answer, or vomit, luck decided it owed him a break. The roller coaster started and the wind was taken out of both of them as they soared down the huge hill. The thirty seconds or so that constituted the remainder of the roller coaster was enough to make answering the question impossibly awkward, but not long enough for either of the two to calm their blush and edginess.

"Ryoga!" Akane said as she walked up to the slowing cart, "I was so worried! That cart was stopped an awfully long time, are you…"

Akane stopped in her tracks when she saw the two blushing. Her heart filled with panic as she saw them avoiding each other's eyes and hands as they unfastened their seatbelts. Then, she filled with rage as they stepped off the roller coaster and Ryoga was too thrown off to even try and lie to her. In her heart, she knew what had happened. Of course, she was wrong, and if she had not been so quick to jump to conclusions, perhaps things would not have gone the way they had, but unfortunately, patient and reasonable were not part of Akane's resume.

"You…" she began quietly as she felt her whole world falling apart, "You…you kissed her…didn't you?"

"What?" Ryoga started, genuinely surprised that the accusation had taken this turn, but before he got even another word in, Akane exploded, causing a huge scene, a scene so huge that it drew customers away from the Freak Show.

"STUPID JERK!" Akane bellowed, "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WOULD DO THIS TO ME! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME? I THOUGHT YOU CARED ABOUT ME BUT OBVIOUSLY I WAS WRONG BECAUSE YOU CLEARLY CARE ABOUT _HER_ EVEN MORE!"

"Akane! He didn't…" Ranma tried, but speaking only directed Akane's rage onto her.

"SHUT UP, RANMA! YOU ARE SUCH A HUSSY! WELL, FINE! YOU WIN! Are you happy now? You win! You hear that? This stupid contest is over, you win! He kissed you first, so it's over, you win! I am SO done with him anyway! I am DONE! DONE! RYOGA AND I ARE THROUGH!" Akane roared, then stormed off, leaving Ranma and Ryoga standing red faced and embarrassed in the middle of a chattering crowd.

Then, her words registered with Ryoga, and he began to shake with rage. Ranma felt his anger, and tried to soothe it, no matter how useless she knew it was. "Ryoga…"

"Contest?" Ryoga asked tersely.

"It's not how it sounds…" Ranma tried again.

"I was just some…contest to you two?!?!?" Ryoga practically shouted, "I was just another stupid prize! A game! A stupid, pointless contest to see which of you would 'win' me???"

"No, Ryoga! It wasn't like that!" Ranma pleaded.

"I was just the goal at the end of a battle, just like you were to all the girls in Nerima…going after the prize and not the person…how do you think that makes me _feel_?" Ryoga asked, his voice raising.

"I care about you! I really do!" Ranma tried desperately, then went for broke, "And I don't just mean as a friend, I mean as so much more! Ryoga! I love you!"

The crowd gasped, almost as if they had been following the dramatic story of the two reluctant lovers for ages. Ryoga stepped back as if the news had slapped him in the face. For a second, just a second, he stared at Ranma as if he were going to soften up, as if the penetrating cold that was in his eyes would melt and he would do something crazy and romantic, but then…

"No…" He said, piercing Ranma with a look so angry, so disappointed, so cold that she shivered under it's frost, "You don't…you can't love anyone…you are a selfish, emotionless shell. Martial arts is the only thing that matters to you…winning is the only thing that you care about, and that's all I ever was to you…the prize…"

Ranma's eyes filled with tears, and she was too distraught to even scold herself for crying like a girl. "Ryoga…" she whispered, but he had already turned to leave, roughly pushing through the crowd of people as he stormed out of the park, and as Ranma could even then feel him vowing, out of Ranma's life forever…


	27. Into Her Own Hands

_Author's Note: _

_MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!_

_HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS!_

_Well, here you go…the only Christmas present I can give to all you WFA Fans…ANOTHER CHAPTER! And…I will tell you all…this is the second to last chapter…::smile::/::sob::_

_PS: The end is near. ;)_

**Worlds Fall Apart**

**Chapter 27**

**Into Her Own Hands**

"Ranma?" Kasumi asked gently as Ranma poked at a napkin with her chopstick.

Ranma didn't even glance up.

"Would you like some tea?" Kasumi asked gently, as if tea could fix all of Ranma's troubles. Ranma slowly shook her head.

"Ranma, you can't just be all distant and depressed for ever!" Nabiki said in exasperation, pangs of guilt nonetheless filling her chest as she tried for the millionth time to console her friend. _Why? Why did I have to do that? Wasn't I making enough? How could I let my greed get so out of hand that I ruined three peoples lives…am I really _that_ greedy?_ Nabiki wondered silently as she looked down at her napkin in turn.

It had been exactly three weeks and two days since the incident. Ranma had been counting, feeling almost as if Ryoga had broken up with her that day as well, when really, all he had done was break her heart.

"Nabiki!" Kasumi scolded, "It's not that simple! Ranma has lost the love of her life because of your greedy meddling! It's not just a scratch! This is a deep wound that needs a long time to heal,"

"It's not Nabiki's fault…" Ranma said quietly, causing both girls to look up in shock. It was the first thing they had heard her say in over three days. Before that she had only said, "Pass the salad".

"Ranma…but I…" Nabiki began.

"I brought this upon myself. I made the mistake of turning something this important into a fight, all you did was take advantage of my stupidity…" Ranma said.

"I…" Nabiki began quietly, sounding more shamed that Ranma had ever heard her, "I still had no right…I'm sorry…"

"You should apologize to me too," Akane said suddenly as she entered the room, "It was _my_ boyfriend I lost. He wasn't anything to Ranma,"

"Yes he was!" Kasumi began, but Ranma had gotten up, her eyes misting, and left the table in favor of the dark cave that was her bedroom. She plopped heavily down onto her bed and quietly wept. _He was something to me…he was everything to me…and now he is gone and will never talk to me again…I feel like my whole world is falling apart…_

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Nabiki had apologized to Akane, hanging her head shamefully, and Kasumi had finally had enough. Finally, a side to Kasumi that the girls never new existed surfaced, and for the first time in a long time, Kasumi stopped politely holding her tongue, and she took matters into her own hands.

"Nabiki!" she said, her voice taking on a tone of forcefulness neither girl knew she was capable of, "Out!"

Nabiki simply stood up and obeyed, leaving a bewildered and frightened Akane behind, sitting nervously at the table and looking up at her normally reserved and modest sister, who was currently looming meaningfully over her.

"I have sat back and listened to all the pointless drama in this house for long enough!" she explained harshly, "And all that time I have kept my mouth shut, even when I see my own sisters acting foolishly and even, sometimes, evilly. Just because I am reticent doesn't mean that I am stupid. Not very many things escape my notice, and since I am a neutral party who is not out to make a profit, I feel you should listen carefully to what I have to say…"

But there was no need for that because Akane was already paying rapt attention. After all, you don't miss the few times when a woman as reserved as Kasumi speaks her mind.

"You are a sweet and lovely girl, Akane, but you can be downright stubborn and self centered," Kasumi said frankly.

Akane gasped. She had never imagined that an insult could hurt so much, but she knew it only did because it came from Kasumi, and what's worse, she knew it was true. Deep in her heart, she knew it.

"Be honest with yourself, for once," Kasumi demanded, "Did you even love Ryoga?"

"Of course I cared about him!" Akane protested.

"Yes, but did you love him?" Kasumi pressed.

"I…"Akane lowered her eyes, "I thought I did…but now I realize that no…I didn't really. I did like him, I liked him a lot, and if things had been different maybe I _could_ have loved him…but honestly…"

Akane stopped, looking guiltily at the table since she was about to voice for the first time what the whole war was really about, something she had not even admitted silently. Kasumi sat down next to her, her tone softening, and put her hand on her hand for support.

"It wasn't about love…it was about winning," Akane admitted, "I liked Ryoga, but when I realized that Ranma liked him too…I just…Ranma has taken so much from me since she got here! She weaseled her way into my life, into my family! First she was engaged to me against my will and would always tease me and make me feel badly! Then, we became friends, then she weaseled her way into my heart, and I loved her. I really, truly loved her. Then she took that from me…then she became a girl, and her problem became the center of attention, everyone cared about how Ranma was, was Ranma okay! No one cared about me!"

"That's not true!" Kasumi assured her.

"I know, but it didn't feel like that," Akane continued, letting it all finally spill out, "And even so, she is just…ever since she arrived I've been under her shadow…she's a better martial artist then me, everyone chases after her, girls and guys, and she has always been prettier than me! Even when she was a boy, she was a better girl than me! As much as I definitely _don't_ care, she even stole KUNO'S affections from me! Like I said, ew! But it's the principle…

And then, finally, I found someone who thought _I_ was the greatest thing ever, someone who was enamored with _me_, who I didn't realize had thought _I_ was a Goddess all along, who wasn't blinded by Ranma but was focused on me…it was…whether I liked Ryoga or not, being so overshadowed by Ranma…I _needed _him!"

"Oh, Akane…" Kasumi said, patting her hand.

"And then, finally, I am beginning to feel happy, and then I realize that RANMA wants Ryoga too! And I just…I couldn't let that happen! He was the first good thing that had happened to me! I was NOT going to let Ranma take that away from me too…finally, I thought there was something that Ranma could NEVER beat me at! Ryoga was supposed to love _ME_! Me only! I was supposed to be the one he had pined over for a year! He had _hated_ Ranma! So, when Ranma started to chase after him, I not only needed to win Ryoga, I needed to beat Ranma…"

Kasumi's sudden outburst of opinions had seemingly died down, and she simply sat there with Akane, letting her sister vent.

"I feel terrible…" Akane said, "Ryoga had loved me…for so long. And I had ignored him. And when I finally pay him attention, it is only for selfish reasons…I really am a terrible person…"

"No, Akane!" Kasumi said soothingly, "You are not a terrible person…it makes sense, everything you are feeling makes sense…but tell me…have you ever wondered how Ranma must feel?"

Akane looked up in surprise. "No…" she admitted, "I haven't…"

"Think of all the horrible and trying things she has had to go through, Akane…" Kasumi said, "Her life has _not_ been easy…doesn't she deserve some happiness too? Why should she have to fight for everything in her life?"

"I…never thought of it that way…" Akane said.

"The thing that disappoints me the most," Kasumi said, "Is that this is how you two girls treat each other…don't you see…you are not just friends anymore…after this much time after this many trials…you two are like sisters…and I feel I must have a talk with all three of you because this is not how you treat family…"

Akane's eyes widened, then filled with tears, and she let herself go and had a good cry in Kasumi's arms for a good long time. And when she was done, she dried her eyes, and a change had come over her. It was like she had cried away all the bitterness, selfishness, and jealousy. And when she walked up the stairs to take a bath, she looked into Ranma's room, and for the first time, Ranma did not intimidate her. Ranma did not make her angry. Ranma did not make her nervous. Ranma did not make her feel incompetent. Ranma looked to her like a scared girl with splotchy eyes. Akane sniffed, feeling the tears coming on a bit again, even though she was all cried out.

Ranma looked up at her, and Akane's heart broke when, for the first time since Ryoga had disappeared, she saw that the fire in Ranma's eyes was gone. She had drowned it in her tears, tears that Akane felt largely responsible for causing. _Kasumi is right…how dare I try to stand between true love for my own stupid, selfish reasons!_

"Ranma I…" Akane started, but then stopped, and finished lamely before walking off, "…I…don't know what to say…"

-break--break--break--break--break--break--break--break--break--break-

Akane combed out her hair as she walked down the steps and towards the mailbox. The shower had been refreshing and she felt as if a huge burden had been lifted from her, while still a heavy one rested on her shoulders, she felt undeniably lighter. The monkeys on her back were gone. She was no longer consumed by insecurity and jealousy. Finally, Ranma would be just a girl to her…no, more than that…a friend…a sister…if she ever forgave her that is. And just as she said that, she froze. She held a letter in her hand, written in a familiar script. She began to shake as she opened it, and she felt the floor fall out from under her as she unfolded the paper. There were only a few short sentences on the page, but it was enough to tell her that worlds were about to crumble once again.

_No._ Akane thought. _I…I can't let this happen…_She thought desperately, holding her hand to her chest as she began to breath quickly and shallowly. _Why? Why now…Oh God! What can I do? I can't do anything about this, I am powerless! I can't do anything…_

Then, Akane suddenly calmed, stood up straight, and thought determinedly, _But I know just who can…_

-break--break--break--break--break--break--break--break-

"Ranma!" Kasumi cried as she ran into the girl's room the next morning, "Ranma! Have you seen Akane? Oh no! I can't find her anywhere! She went out last night, I guess, and never returned! Oh, Ranma! What if something's happened to her!"

Ranma looked up, and for just a moment her depression subsided. No matter how angry the two girls were with each other, Ranma knew that she still loved Akane, they were too close to let a boy come between them, even if that boy _was _the love of her life. And also, Ranma loved the Tendo's, every one of them, and hated to see dear, sweet Kasumi in a panic.

"Don't worry!" Ranma said as she jumped up out of bed, "We'll find her!"

The two girls walked briskly through the hall and into Akane's bedroom, hoping to find some clue about where she'd gone.

"Oh, Ranma! I hope I wasn't too harsh on her yesterday, Oh! This is all my fault!" Kasumi lamented tearfully as Ranma looked desperately on Akane's desk. Then, she stopped, and picked up a piece of paper with Akane's hurried scrawl.

"Dear Family," Ranma read, "Do not worry about me, I will be back soon. Hopefully. Ranma, don't make any rash decisions! Love always, Akane,"

"Gone where!" Kasumi cried, "Oh! This is all my fault! I shouldn't have been so hard on her, I shouldn't have made her feel guilty!

"P.S.," Ranma read, "Tell Kasumi this is not her fault. This is something I need to do. I'll be back, I promise…"

"Oh! But I can't help feeling guilty!" Kasumi said, stifling a sob.

"What's going on?" Nabiki asked as she walked into the room, then she read the letter, snorted, and said, "Like father like daughter…always trying to take things into her own hands…"

"What do we do?" Kasumi wondered.

"The only thing we can do," Nabiki said, "Wait…"


	28. Full Moon

_Author's Note: Wow. So, here it is…the last and final chapter of Worlds Fall Apart. So, this has been one of the most fun stories I have ever written, and I am feeling mighty accomplished right now having finished it. Yay:)_

_I know it is sad that it is over, and I am sorry I was late in releasing the final chapter, but here it is…so prepare. I don't know how thoroughly this will tie everything up, I was trying to make it just a little more conclusive than the Manga…some things are solved, some are assumed, and many are left hanging because chaos is in Ranma's nature._

_So, I'd really appreciate a final review from people. Compliments, constructive criticism, thoughts, etc. :)_

_Thanks for reading! And keep an eye out, I have three more Ranma fics in the works right now…as a treat, here are the synopsis' of them (although they are open to a bit of change):_

_**Smart Business**- Kuno and Nabiki decide it is a smart business transaction for them to get married, but falling in love is more than either of them bargained for._

_This is set after the end of the manga and is a continuation, canon friendly story where everyone will be in character. Will likely be at least PG13 because of some adult subject matters._

_The second one is less developed, doesn't even have a title. But, essentially, it is going to be slash…Ranma/Ryoga. He won't be a girl in this story, gonna explore a little homo type RS/RH relationship…should be interesting. I'm thinking about having a small series of them called Just Friends or something, but they would all be independent of eachother, just the same concept._

_The third (part of this slash series) would be Ukyo and Akane become close as they realize how much they have in common, but as their friendship strengthens they realize that even if Ranma was the start of it, he no longer plays such an important role in either of their minds…in fact, no guy does…This one would probably be called Slumber Party or Sleepover or something because the idea is that they get together every weekend for a sleepover where they talk about Ranma and family and other things, ya know, girl talk._

_So, look forward to them, but it may be several months before I can even start them, so don't hold your breath. ;)_

_Finally, I hope you enjoyed my story…thank you and goodnight!_

**Worlds Fall Apart**

**Chapter 28**

**Full Moon**

_**(3 weeks later)**_

_I've looked everywhere…_Akane lamented as she wiped sweat from her forehead, _This is impossible, Japan is just too big!_

Still, Akane walked on, feeling like she had doomed herself to wander the Earth for all eternity, always searching, never finding. She angrily slammed down her pack and roared, "I'LL NEVER FIND HIM THIS WAY! I DON'T HAVE THE _TIME_ FOR THIS! AUGH!"

"Akane!?!?" said a voice in complete surprise.

Akane looked up and saw the face of hope. The face of the man she had been searching for. The face of someone she had thought she would never see again. "RYOGA!"

-break--break--break--break--break--break--break--break-

Ranma twinged as she felt shock. Not hers. Ryoga's. Wherever he was, something had just surprised him. She sniffled and felt herself tear up again, but it had been a while, and she was almost out of tears, so nothing came of it.

"You okay, Ranma?" Ukyo asked gently.

"Fine…" Ranma lied, and then tried to force a smile to make Ukyo feel a little better. Ukyo had come over and insisted Ranma come out with her and try to have some fun, try to get her mind off of everything for a bit. Unfortunately, it wasn't the pick-me-up trip Ukyo had hoped for, and now that Ranma had felt something from Ryoga again, her mood had gone from sour to dismal.

"Ranma, cheer up!" Ukyo begged, "Look, you're in a slump, and I'm not saying you're going to forget about Ryoga, but eventually you'll learn to live with it,"

"I know," Ranma said, not really able to see such a time in the near future, but not wanting to argue, "Everything is just…it's all so still…everything is moving so slowly…I feel like nothing is happening, and each day that nothing happens, that leaves it so that all I have to do is wallow in my pain…if something would happen, maybe I'd be able to take my mind off of it all…"

"Ranma?" said a nervous and quiet voice behind Ranma and Ukyo, and Ranma nearly fell over when she turned around and looked into the last face she had been expecting to see.

Ukyo was the first to speak, and all she could manage was to whisper, "Soun?!?!"

"Ranma," Soun Tendo said nervously, "How…how have you been?"

"I…I…" Ranma started, but instead of answering his question, she met it with a slew of her own, "When did you get back? Where have you been? Why did you leave?"

Soun looked nervous, then asked the question he had been wondering about his entire return journey, "Do you…still hate me?"

Ranma was silent for a second, and closed her gaping mouth. She thought on this for just a minute, then her voice softened and she said, "I…no…I don't,"

Soun's eyes filled with tears, and he asked, "And my daughter's? And Saotome?"

Ranma shook her head, "I don't think they do…where did you go?"

"Ranma, can we go somewhere and talk?" Soun asked hopefully, unable to stop from smiling a little in relief.

Ranma looked at Ukyo, and she shrugged and mouthed, "It's up to you…"

Ranma nodded, "I guess so…"

Soun nodded and led the way into a small diner, followed tentatively by Ranma. Ukyo stopped at the door and indicated she'd be right there if Ranma needed her, and a second later, Ranma and Soun were seated at a table. A minute after that, Soun was eating as if he hadn't eaten in months, and Ranma was nervously picking at her food, looking up at Soun from time to time as if he were a ghost. Once they were done, Soun pushed away his plate and said excitedly, "Ranma, I've done it! I had to search everywhere, but I've managed to do it!"

"Do what? What's going on, Mr. Tendo?" Ranma asked, "Where did you go, and what have you done?"

"When I saw all the pain I had caused, I knew it would not be honorable to sit back and do nothing, I knew I had to take responsibility for my actions and set things right…so I packed immediately and left on a journey all across Asia. I began by going to China, swimming across the ocean until I was so exhausted I nearly drowned. Then, I walked to the Cursed Springs,"

Ranma gasped, "The Cursed Springs!"

"Yes, and while I was there, I tried every single spring until I found the Spring of Drowned Man. I must have turned hundreds of small animals into monsters and other animals, I was nearly killed by a canary that I dropped into the Spring of Drowned Dragon and was nearly fatally distracted by a squirrel that I put into the Spring of Drowned Siren. Finally, I found it…The Spring of Drowned Man…the cure to your curse…"

"But…" Ranma began, momentarily ignoring the fact that he had called her womanhood a curse…he didn't know all that had happened, so she'd have to explain later, "But…that wouldn't work…all it would do is turn me back into a half man half woman…and I'd still have all my memories…It'd be even worse than before!"

"I know," Soun said, "I knew something had to be done to the water, something to make it stronger…so I spent the next several months searching every village for a wizard powerful enough to alter the water. Finally, I found one, and it took three full moons before he could complete it…but he did…and now I have it…a one of a kind cure…"

"Cure…" Ranma said, utterly confused and unsure what to think.

"Yes, Ranma…this powerful water, if drunk on the full moon, will turn you back into a man…permanently. All your memories of being a woman will disappear instantaneously, and all our memories will be altered accordingly. There is enough here so that if something like this ever happens again, you will have a written explanation and a second dose. This water should last you the rest of your life…and you never have to be a girl again…"

"All my memories…" Ranma said, and her mind involuntarily leapt when she realized what this meant…all the pain…all her love for Ryoga…all of it would be gone…she'd be back to being a guy, a guy who was not a fool for love, a guy who could find happiness and would not be doomed to be alone without the love of their life forever…

And besides, since Ranma had become a girl, things had only gotten worse. More complicated. Insanely complicated. Sure she finally felt like she was being honest, like she was no longer living a lie. She could sleep at night without the undeniable residue of magic over her. But…everything was so much harder now…so much more complicated. Besides…she really didn't have anything…anyone. She had lost the love of her life. She had lost her best friend. She had lost everything that mattered to her.

If she did this…she could become a man again, and things would be simple. She'd be engaged to Akane again, and could probably convince herself they were in love. She'd know that martial arts were all that mattered because people only hurt you. And most importantly…all this hurt would be gone. No more pain…

It was worth it, she decided, to live a tiny lie and get rid of a large amount of pain…

"I'll do it…" Ranma said, and Soun beamed.

"Ranma!" he cried, leaping across the table and enfolding Ranma into his arms, "Things are going to be okay! You'll see! You and Akane will be together again, you will take over the Dojo! You'll be all male! Everything is going to work out!"

Ranma smiled, not for Soun, but for herself, and tried to tell herself the smile wasn't even a bit forced. _This is what I have to do…_

-break--break--break--break--break--break--break--break-

Akane sat awkwardly at a broken and wobbly wooden table, nervously sipping tea. Ryoga poured boiling water over some instant ramen and set it in front of Akane.

"Is this…is this where you've been living?" Akane asked awkwardly.

"Yeah," Ryoga said, unsure whether he should be hospitable or angry with her.

"It's…nice…" Akane lied.

"It's far away from all the nut cases in Nerima…that's enough for me," Ryoga said sourly.

Akane said nothing, unsure of how to respond to that.

Ryoga decided to stop playing games, so he said, simply and coldly, "Enough of the pleasantries, we both know you didn't come over for tea and ramen…why are you here?"

"It's Ranma…" Akane said.

"What about her?" Ryoga asked, trying hard to sound like he didn't care.

"She's really depressed," Akane said.

"Well, so am I," Ryoga countered, "My girlfriend broke up with me for something I didn't do, and then I find out that both my girlfriend and my best friend only thought of me as the prize in some stupid contest. I think I have a little more reason to be upset,"

"Ryoga! That's not how it is, okay!" Akane said in exasperation.

"Then how was it?" Ryoga asked.

"Okay," Akane said, taking a breath and reminding herself that for once she had to try and be selfless in order to help Ranma, to help set things right, "I'll admit, for me, it became that way. When we first got together, it was largely because…I was jealous of Ranma…I always felt second to her, and with you, I was first…"

"Akane, I loved you! I loved you for a YEAR!" Ryoga said, "And you _never_ paid me even the tiniest bit of attention! Then you did, and…"

"And it was too late…" Akane said, she had had quite a bit of time to think while searching and she had thoroughly figured Ryoga out, "Ryoga, something was different with you, with the way you felt about me…after the thing with Ranma. What changed?"

"You did…" Ryoga said, and before Akane could protest, he clarified, "Or, my image of you did…when I first fell in love with you, you were a Goddess! You were the most beautiful, wonderful, perfect girl in the world to me! All other girls were plain and boring in comparison to you…then you broke my heart, that day when you finally told me you loved Ranma, you broke my heart, and my image of you changed because if you could make me feel that terrible, then you weren't the perfect Goddess I had raised you up to be in my mind…you became human…"

"That was when?" Akane asked in surprise, "But, you must have known before that I loved Ranma!"

"Yeah," Ryoga admitted, "I knew…but you had never confirmed it, so I could lie to myself and pretend it wasn't true,"

"So, why go out with me after I had done that to you?" Akane wondered.

"Because for the whole past year, you had been the dream…I wasn't ready to give it up yet, even if I could feel my love for you waning…"

Akane laughed a little painfully, "So…you went out with me because you were trying to hold onto a dream, and I went out with you because I was trying to create one…we're pathetic,"

"I don't regret it," Ryoga said firmly.

"Me either…" Akane said, "But I do regret trying to hold on to you when you clearly cared about Ranma more than me, and she clearly cared about you more than I did…I had no right to stand between that,"

"You had every right…besides…now, I am finally over you…I can move on…" Ryoga reasoned, ignoring the subject of Ranma.

"But you're not over Ranma…" Akane said.

Ryoga looked up at her, but couldn't find the energy to lie. So, he said nothing, and it was a dead give away.

"And she's not over you!" Akane said, "What you and Ranma have, it's real! Don't let it slip away! What we had, it was some stupid little grade school crush! You loved me and ignored my faults, but with Ranma…you love her in spite of them…I can tell…you don't idolize her…you really love her…"

"It doesn't matter because the only thing she'll ever love is martial arts, "Ryoga said, "I was just a game to her, just like I always was…"

"Ryoga, you are NOT a game to her!" Akane said in annoyance, "Do you know she hasn't even practiced martial arts since you left! Not to mention she has barely eaten or left the house! I'm worried about her, and I'm afraid in this condition, she'll do something rash…"

Ryoga couldn't help but feel a horrible pang of guilt and sympathy. _Does Ranma _really_ love me? Is it possible? _"She's really that upset?" Ryoga asked, softening in spite of himself.

Akane nodded, "And it's worse…My father sent a letter…he is coming home…with a 'cure'…"

"A…cure?" Ryoga said in shock, but it was more shock than he really felt, and he just new that the shock he was feeling was from Ranma, it was a deep, horrible shock, and he was willing to bet she had just seen Soun. "How soon?" he asked desperately.

"Didn't say, but the letter was postmarked for a week before it arrived…" Akane said.

"And if he shows up, what will he do?" Ryoga said, "Will he just cure Ranma without asking her first?"

"I don't think so," Akane said, "He may be a stupid man sometimes, even though he is my father, but he is not selfish…this thing was a mistake, he didn't turn Ranma into a boy on purpose, I know that. So, I don't think he would turn Ranma back into a boy without asking her first,"

"Good," Ryoga said.

"Not really," Akane explained, "She is so depressed…Ryoga…I think she might do it…if he offers to erase her memory…that means she'd no longer remember being in love with you…she is in so much pain…"

Ryoga said nothing, just sat staring at the table, so Akane rambled on, "This is largely my fault, but I can't fix it. All I can do is apologize to her later, tell her how sorry I am, how badly I feel…try to repair our friendship, but right now, that won't help…there is only one person who can help her now…"

Suddenly, all Ryoga's anger, all his sadness, all his negativity and resolve to abandon that life vanished, and he looked up at Akane. He said nothing, but from the look in his eyes, she knew she had gotten through to him. He was in love, and that always made it easier.

"Go," she said, "And hurry…"

Ryoga darted across the room and grabbed just enough food for the three day run he had ahead of him, and then he darted out the door, not shutting it behind him, not saying a word of goodbye to Akane, focusing his mind on one thing and one thing only: Ranma.

Akane stood at the doorway as she watched him leave, leaping and running through the woods at top speed. She smiled a little as she closed this chapter of her life, and felt a little pain as she realized that Ryoga would not have done the same for her. What he and Ranma had…it was real. She knew that now. What she and Ryoga had had, it was childish and selfish. Love was not supposed to be selfish. Maybe one day she'd be able to understand what that felt like. Her eyes watered a little as she watched Ryoga's back disappear over a hill, and she whispered, "Goodbye, Ryoga…" Then she headed into his cabin and began to pack.

-break--break--break--break--break--break--break--break--break-

"Ranma…are you ready?" Soun asked.

Ranma blinked, then stood up from the table.

"Ranma! Are you sure this is what you want? Don't you understand…this is permanent…once you do this, there is no going back…" Nabiki reasoned, feeling desperate.

Kasumi bit her tongue, trying hard to let this be Ranma's decision. Genma hung his head and said nothing, but under his breath, he whispered, "My little girl…" Soun was grim, but determined. He said nothing. He had heard the story, over the past few days, about how Ranma had coped. About all that had gone on, about the pain she was in.

"Ranma…" Soun said nervously, "Be certain…please be certain you want to do this, be certain you want to do this for it's own sake and that it is not merely a decision made in pain…this affects your entire life,"

"This pain affects my entire life," Ranma said morosely, then walked towards the back door, "Let's go…"

The family exchanged desperate glances, but followed quietly. Ranma stood by the pond looking up at the sky. The sunset was a deep red with rays of orange. He thought she had never seen such a beautiful sunset in her life…except that one…but she was hardly in the mood for sunset's then…her body stiffened.

"Pop…why?" she said in a small voice.

"Sweetie, we are martial artists first and foremost…the life of a martial artist is not easy, and sometimes we don't have warning before we have to be on the move again. Besides, after this training mission is over with, you will be a formidable force, and all the boys will run for cover when they see you!" Genma said as he and Ranma climbed onto a bus.

The sun was setting as Ranma leaned on her elbows looking out at the roads speeding by. They passed the school, and the neighborhoods behind it.

"I wish you had at least let me say goodbye to Ryoga," Ranma said sourly, "I was supposed to meet him after school,"

"That was three days ago, that kid has no sense of direction!" Genma said.

"Yeah, but that means that he'd be there by now!" Ranma protested, then sighed and looked back out the window. The sun was almost completely down by now, and she could look directly at the big, orange yellow shimmering blob. The sky around it was a swirling mass of pink and purple, and the clouds were surrounded by a gorgeous yellow aura.

They drove past Ryoga's house, and Ranma saw Ryoga waiting in the lot behind it, standing there, checking his watch. She remembered the note he had given her that past week. It had said, "Meet me in the empty lot behind my house on Thursday after school. Ryoga". Then, she had assumed it was a challenge to a duel. Now, she knew it was not war he wanted to make…it was a confession…

Ranma swiveled her head and watched Ryoga disappear from site. _Damn…he was my best friend…_she thought as they turned the corner. She turned to the front as they passed and whispered to herself, "Goodbye, Ryoga".

Ranma looked up, and saw the second most beautiful sunset she had ever seen, shimmering off the Tendo's pond. She watched it in silence as it sunk downwards. When it was at it's last glow, and only the very tip of the sun could be seen, Soun came over and handed her a small vial with all the enchanted water she needed to be rid of the pain, be rid of the memories, be rid of…herself. Oh well.

"Drink it as soon as the sun is gone…you will change when the moon rises…" Soun explained, turning white and wondering if he weren't even now making a bigger mistake than he had before.

Ranma nodded, and Soun stepped back. The sun sunk below the last of the clouds, and Ranma raised the vial. She looked at it, then whispered, "Goodbye, Ryoga…" She held the tiny vial to her lips, and was hit as if she had been tackled.

It took her a second to realize she _had_ been tackled. It took her a moment to notice that she was lying on the cushy grass on her back, the dew seeping through her shirt, and that the tiny vial was spilled on the ground next to her. It took her a second to notice that the person who had tackled her was now lying on top of her, panting and out of breath, and as soon as she recognized him, she gasped. "Ryoga?"

"Did you…drink it?" Ryoga asked breathlessly.

"What are you _doing?!?!_" Ranma asked in annoyance, then picked up the spilled vial. It was completely empty, "You jerk! Now I have to wait until next month! Haven't you caused me enough pain already?"

"You were going to do it? You were really going to take Soun's stupid cure?" Ryoga said in annoyance, "You…baka!"

"Baka?" Ranma said, starting to get angry. _Damnit…this was my only chance…_

"Yes! Baka!" Ryoga said, "Why would you do something like that? After all the hard work you went through accepting that you were a girl and all the memories you've suffered through and all the friendships and relationships you've fixed! And to throw it all away just because you've got a little case of a broken heart?"

"A _little_ case?!?!" Ranma shouted, "How DARE you trivialize this!"

"Don't be such a wimp!" Ryoga argued back, knowing full well that that would get to her. _But anything to get the fire back into her eyes…_he thought, "I've suffered a total of three broken hearts, and I survived! And besides, two of them were caused by YOU!"

"Huh?" Ranma asked in confusion, unsure whether he was still being argumentative or not.

"I never answered your question," Ryoga said, heart pounding, face reddening, and resolve fighting to hold on, "But it was…"

"Was what?" Ranma asked.

"You…it was you who I was in love with…when we were in school together…" Ryoga said, "And after you left, I was so heartbroken…I was furious, I was determined to give you a piece of my mind, so I set off after you…I ended up falling in the springs and getting turned into a pig, and I was even more angry…then, when I finally found you, you had already been put under that curse, and I thought that I was chasing you because you ran out on a duel…"

"Why are you telling me this?" Ranma wondered impatiently.

"Just listen!" Ryoga said, "My memory was changed, and I had forgotten that I was still in love with you…then, I met Akane, and I fell for her. Once you had turned back into a girl, I started to remember, believe me, much to my annoyance, that I used to have feelings for you…the more I remembered, the more I realized how serious they were…and the more I began to feel them again…"

Ranma blinked. _Is he saying…_

"But it was wrong! Sick and wrong! It was hard enough that we had gone from enemies to rivals to friends so quickly. I wasn't ready to love you again…not after everything that had happened…but…I…" Ryoga paused and looked at Ranma, blushing deeply, "I couldn't help it…you won me over…no matter how hard I tried, I fell for you anyway, and Akane was the last tiny straw of hope I had to stop myself from loving you, but it didn't work…because Ranma…I love you…I love you still, I always have, and I always will!"

"Ryoga…" Ranma said, unsure of what to say, unsure of how to respond, and unsure of whether or not she might just have a heart attack, this was just too much!

"But only if you'll give me the chance…" Ryoga said, looking at the tiny vial in Ranma's hand.

Ranma swallowed and looked at the bottle. "If…" she began, "If I stay a girl, then I will still be in love with you…and you could hurt me again…"

Ryoga stared at her, heart sinking, but then Ranma smiled and said, "Heh…I never was one to take the easy road, was I?" Then she threw down the vial and Ryoga threw his arms around her, and he kissed her, and as the full moon rose, Ranma did not become a man, but instead became a real and complete woman.

_**The End**_


End file.
